Cervical intervertebral disc denervation during rotator cuff tendon plasty

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the effect of denervation of intervertebral discs in the cervical spine on the results of surgical treatment of patients with injuries to rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder joint.Material and Methods. Study design: descriptive hypothesis-generating study. The study included patients requiring surgical treatment of rotator cuff tear.  Two groups were identified: Group A included 28 patients who underwent plastic repair of rotator cuff tear with additional denervation of intervertebral discs, and Group B – 30 patients who underwent only plastic surgery for rotator cuff tear. The intensity of pain according to the VAS, functional activity due to neck pain (NDI), functionality of the shoulder joint (UCLA), and the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration according to MRI were assessed, and the effectiveness of treatment was determined. Statistical calculations were performed using the RStudio program.Results. In the group of patients with denervation of intervertebral discs, a more pronounced decrease in the intensity of pain syndrome at 3, 6, and 12 months (p < 0.001; p < 0.001; and p = 0.002), a more proportion of effectively treated patients at 3 months (p = 0.003), and significant increase in functional activity according to NDI at 3, 6 and 12 months of follow-up period (p < 0.001; p = 0.010; and p = 0.045) were observed.Conclusions. There is an underestimation of the role of degenerative cervical spine pathology in the occurrence of shoulder joint pain. In the case of rotation cuff plasty the additional denervation reduces the intensity of pain syndrome in the shoulder joint in the postoperative period.