Preliminary evaluation of the clinical efficacy of salmon calcitonin nasal spray in patients with rotator cuff tears after arthroscopic repair: a retrospective study

Abstract

Background Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are the most common shoulder disorder, which can be effectively treated by arthroscopic technique. However, the re-tear rates following rotator cuff repair range from 10% in small tears to 91% in massive tears, leading to a failure of healing, particularly in patients with osteoporosis or acute bone loss. Calcitonin used for acute bone loss has currently become a consensus. This study aims to assess the efficacy of salmon calcitonin nasal spray (SCNS) in patients with RCTs after arthroscopic repair. Methods It was a retrospective study which involved patients affected by RCTs from January 2018 to December 2019. All of the patients accepted arthroscopic surgery and were divided into two groups, with or without use of SCNS after the surgery. Patients were evaluated with clinical examination, pain scores based on visual analog scale (VAS) and functional outcomes based on the Constant-Murley shoulder score (CMS) and simple shoulder test (SST) before surgery, at 3, 6, and 24 months after surgery. Results Groups 1 (control group) and 2 (study group) comprised 26 and 29 patients, respectively, who showed no significant differences in demographic characteristics (p>0.05). In general, the mean ± sd of patient age was 52.27 ± 8.53 years (range, 39–75 years). Among the patients, 28 (50.9%) were male, and 27 (49.1%) were female. Shoulder function (CMS, SST) improved over time in both groups (p<0.05). At 3 months, VAS, CMS and SST values in study group were superior to those in control group (p<0.05). However, this trend was not persisted at 6 and 24 months. Tendon re-tear was seen in two of the patients in control group, but there was no significant difference in re-tear rates in the two groups (p=0.219). No other post-surgical complication was found in either group. Conclusions Use of SCNS could significantly reduce postoperative pain level and improve shoulder function in the early stage after arthroscopic repair, but it could not decrease the rotator cuff re-tear rate. Prospective studies involving large samples are required to observe the long term effects further more.