CC2022: Controversy on the Association of the Critical Shoulder Angle and the Development of Degenerative Rotator Cuff Tears: Is There a True Association? A Meta-analytical Approach (July 2022)-Controversy on the Association of the Critical Shoulder Angle and the Development of Degenerative Rotator Cuff Tears: Is There a True Association? A Meta-analytical Approach (July 2022)

Controversy on the Association of the Critical Shoulder Angle and the Development of Degenerative Rotator Cuff Tears: Is There a True Association? A Meta-analytical Approach (July 2022)

Back to course

Pdf Summary

The critical shoulder angle (CSA) is a measurement that has been proposed as a possible risk factor for rotator cuff tears (RCTs). However, the association between the CSA and RCTs remains controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the reliability of CSA measurement and explore the results of studies reporting the association between CSA and RCT. <br /><br />A total of 14 studies were included in the analysis, with 11 of them assessing the reliability of CSA measurement. The results showed excellent intraobserver and interobserver reliability for CSA measurement. When comparing cases with RCTs to controls, cases generally had larger CSA measurements. However, there was a high level of heterogeneity among the studies, indicating considerable variation in the results. The 95% prediction interval included no difference in CSA, indicating that the association between CSA and RCT is uncertain.<br /><br />Metaregression analysis suggested that several methodological factors, such as the type of tears included, the study size, the diagnostic test used to assess RCT, and the criteria for assessing radiographic viewing perspective, could contribute to the heterogeneity in results.<br /><br />Overall, the findings suggest that while CSA measurement is reliable, the association between CSA and RCT is variable and unclear. Additional research is needed to better understand the relationship between CSA and RCT, and to standardize methods for CSA measurement to reduce bias and improve the accuracy of future studies.

Keywords

critical shoulder angle

CSA measurement

rotator cuff tears

RCTs

association

systematic review

meta-analysis

reliability

intraobserver

interobserver