Trends Related to the Treatment of Superior Labral Tears at a Single Institution

Abstract

Background: As preferred treatment options for superior labral tears continue to evolve, this study aims to describethe recent longitudinal trends in the treatment of SLAP tears in a sub-specialized practice at a single institution. Wehypothesized that there was a trend toward biceps tenodesis over repair for Type II SLAP lesions.Methods: A retrospective review was performed using an institutional billing database to identify all patients with aSLAP tear who underwent surgical intervention between January 2002 and January 2016. Procedural codes associatedwith the surgery were analyzed to determine type of treatment each patient received.Results: Of the 6,055 patients who underwent surgery for a SLAP tear during the study period, 39.1% (2,370)underwent labral repair, 15.4% (930) underwent tenodesis without repair, and 45.5% (2,755) underwent arthroscopywithout tenodesis or repair. Labral repair made up a significantly higher proportion of surgical interventions in 2002(82.2%) compared to in 2015 (21.8%; P<0.001). Surgeon experience did not impact trends. Over the study period,the mean age of patients receiving labral repair decreased from 40.4 years (range: 16.2 – 63.9) to 32.6 years (range:14.0 – 64.7; P<0.001).Conclusion: This study demonstrates that over the 14-year study period the rate of labral repairs for SLAP tears hasdecreased significantly and that these repairs have been directed towards a younger patient population.Level of evidence: III