CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01706978Updated Sep 18, 2020Results posted

A Comparison of Two Adjunctive Treatments in Arthroscopic Cuff Repair

An interventional study of Bone Trephination and Soft Tissue Trephination in Rotator Cuff Tear, sponsored by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 90 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-09-18.

Sponsored by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 3 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Apr 2012, registered Jul 2012).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
176
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 90 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

This Clinical Trial is being conducted to study two adjunctive treatments for rotator cuff repair; soft tissue and bone trephination. "Trephination" is a procedure that involves making small perforations either in the torn tendon near its edge, or in the bone that the tendon is repaired to. The rotator cuff is repaired by sewing the tendon down to the bone in the shoulder. Trephination is a new technique that is used in addition to the standard method of repairing the rotator cuff tendon.

This study will help to determine whether this technique improves the speed of healing, the strength and the re-tear rate of the repair. You are being asked to take part in this study because you have a tear of the rotator cuff that requires surgical treatment. A total of 90 participants will participate in this study.

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Conditions studied

  • Rotator Cuff Tear

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Keywords

  • rotator cuff tear
03

In context

Rotator Cuff Injuries

734 studies on the registry are indexed under Rotator Cuff Injuries; 161 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 176 is above the median of 60 across 538 interventional studies indexed under Rotator Cuff Injuries.

Browse Rotator Cuff Injuries studies →

Lead sponsor

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the lead sponsor of 538 studies on the registry; 100 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 90 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients who have failed standard non-surgical management of their rotator cuff tear, and who would benefit from a surgical repair of the cuff.
  • Failed medical management will be defined as persistent pain and disability despite adequate standard non-operative management for 6 months.

Medical management will be defined as:

  • The use of drugs including analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
  • Physiotherapy consisting of stretching, strengthening and local modalities (ultrasound, cryotherapy, etc)
  • Activity modification
  • Imaging, and intra-operative findings confirming a full thickness tear of the rotator cuff.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Characteristics of the cuff tear that render the cuff irrepairable: fatty infiltration in the muscles grade III (50%) or greater; superior subluxation of the humeral head; retraction of the cuff to the level of the glenoid rim.
  2. Partial thickness cuff tears.
  3. Significant shoulder comorbidities e.g. Bankart lesion, osteoarthritis
  4. Previous surgery on affected shoulder e.g. Previous rotator cuff repair.
  5. Patients with active worker's compensation claims
  6. Active joint or systemic infection
  7. Significant muscle paralysis
  8. Rotator cuff tear arthropathy
  9. Charcot's arthropathy
  10. Significant medical comorbidity that could alter the effectiveness of the surgical intervention (eg. Cervical radiculopathy, polymyalgia rheumatica)
  11. Major medical illness (life expectancy less then 1 year or unacceptably high operative risk)
  12. Unable to speak or read English/French
  13. Psychiatric illness that precludes informed consent
  14. Unwilling to be followed for 1 year
  15. Advanced physiologic age
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
176 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Soft Tissue Trephination

    Ten days prior to the standard rotator cuff repair, a trephination procedure will be carried out. The trephination procedure will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and will be carried out under local anesthesia. A needle will be placed through the skin over the shoulder and either into the bone or into the edge of the cuff tendon, depending on whether you are allocated to the "bone trephination" or "soft tissue trephination" groups. The needle will be used to make 6 small holes in either bone or the tendon in the shoulder in the area where the cuff is to be repaired.

    Procedure: Soft Tissue Trephination

  • Active comparator
    Bone Trephination

    Ten days prior to the standard rotator cuff repair, a trephination procedure will be carried out. The trephination procedure will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and will be carried out under local anesthesia. A needle will be placed through the skin over the shoulder and either into the bone or into the edge of the cuff tendon, depending on whether you are allocated to the "bone trephination" or "soft tissue trephination" groups. The needle will be used to make 6 small holes in either bone or the tendon in the shoulder in the area where the cuff is to be repaired.

    Procedure: Bone Trephination

Interventions

  • ProcedureBone Trephination
  • ProcedureSoft Tissue Trephination
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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index

    The Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) is a disease specific evaluation, proven to be an accurate and valid assessment of function after shoulder replacement. The WORC is a patient-reported measure, 19-question survey. Each question is measured using a visual analog scale rated from 0-100, where higher scores mean better outcome. These scores are combined and translated into a percentage out of 100. A higher total score indicates a better outcome.

    Time frame: From baseline to up until 24-Months Post-Operative

Secondary outcomes

  1. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) Scores

    The ASES is a shoulder specific assessment divided into two sections: pain and activities of daily living (ADL). Pain is recorded on a visual analogue scale (0-10), lower scores indicate better outcomes. There are 10 activities of daily living questions, each are recorded on a 4 level likert scale (0-3), which a higher score indicates a better outcome. The overall score is an equal weight of the two sections and produces a score out of 100. The higher the score, the better the outcome.

    Time frame: From baseline to up until 24-Months Post-Operative

  2. The Constant Score

    The Constant Score reflects an overall clinical functional assessment. This instrument is based on a 100-point scoring system. Subjective findings (pain, activities of daily living, and working in different positions) make up a total of 35 points. Objective measurements make up the remaining 65 points.The test is divided into four sub-categories: (1) pain is measured using 4 likert levels (15 points maximum), where a higher score indicates a better outcome; activities of daily living are measured using a likert scale, where a higher number indicates better outcomes (20 points maximum); mobility is measured by an assessor, and rated using a likert scale where a higher score indicates better outcomes (40 points maximum); finally, strength is measured by an assessor where 1 point is given per 0.5kg of force (maximum 25 points), a higher score indicates better outcomes. All categories are added together, and a total score out of 100 is given (higher score indicates better outcome).

    Time frame: From baseline to up until 24-Months Post-Operative

  3. Healing Rates

    Imaging parameters will be examined using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These images will be analyzed to determine healing status of the tissues post-operatively. Imaging will determine whether the tissue is healed, partially torn, or fully torn after surgery. Higher incidence of tearing will be compared between groups. A higher incidence of tearing indicates worse outcomes.

    Time frame: From surgery to up until 24-Months Post-Operative

07

Results

Posted May 6, 2020
Limitations and caveats
The sample size achieved would have detected a clinically significant difference based on power analysis but remains susceptible to type II error. The lack of a prospective control group also restricts the interpretation of the study finding.

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
Started4741
Completed3835
Not completed96

Outcome measures

PrimaryWestern Ontario Rotator Cuff Index

The Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) is a disease specific evaluation, proven to be an accurate and valid assessment of function after shoulder replacement. The WORC is a patient-reported measure, 19-question survey. Each question is measured using a visual analog scale rated from 0-100, where higher scores mean better outcome. These scores are combined and translated into a percentage out of 100. A higher total score indicates a better outcome.

Time frame:
From baseline to up until 24-Months Post-Operative
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index
score on a scaleSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index82 ± 2580 ± 21
SecondaryAmerican Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) Scores

The ASES is a shoulder specific assessment divided into two sections: pain and activities of daily living (ADL). Pain is recorded on a visual analogue scale (0-10), lower scores indicate better outcomes. There are 10 activities of daily living questions, each are recorded on a 4 level likert scale (0-3), which a higher score indicates a better outcome. The overall score is an equal weight of the two sections and produces a score out of 100. The higher the score, the better the outcome.

Time frame:
From baseline to up until 24-Months Post-Operative
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) Scores
score on a scaleSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) Scores85 ± 2284 ± 17
SecondaryThe Constant Score

The Constant Score reflects an overall clinical functional assessment. This instrument is based on a 100-point scoring system. Subjective findings (pain, activities of daily living, and working in different positions) make up a total of 35 points. Objective measurements make up the remaining 65 points.The test is divided into four sub-categories: (1) pain is measured using 4 likert levels (15 points maximum), where a higher score indicates a better outcome; activities of daily living are measured using a likert scale, where a higher number indicates better outcomes (20 points maximum); mobility is measured by an assessor, and rated using a likert scale where a higher score indicates better outcomes (40 points maximum); finally, strength is measured by an assessor where 1 point is given per 0.5kg of force (maximum 25 points), a higher score indicates better outcomes. All categories are added together, and a total score out of 100 is given (higher score indicates better outcome).

Time frame:
From baseline to up until 24-Months Post-Operative
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
The Constant Score
score on a scaleSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
Total Score81 ± 1683 ± 12
Strength15.9 ± 6.415.8 ± 10.3
SecondaryHealing Rates

Imaging parameters will be examined using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These images will be analyzed to determine healing status of the tissues post-operatively. Imaging will determine whether the tissue is healed, partially torn, or fully torn after surgery. Higher incidence of tearing will be compared between groups. A higher incidence of tearing indicates worse outcomes.

Time frame:
From surgery to up until 24-Months Post-Operative
Reported as:
Number · percentage of participants
Healing Rates
percentage of participantsSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
Percentage of Participants Healed8775
Percentage of Participants Partially-Healed214
Percentage of Participants Non-Healed1011

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse event data was collected from the time the participant was enrolled up until 2-years post-operative for each participant.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Soft Tissue Trephination0/47 (0%)0/47 (0%)2/47 (4.3%)
Bone Trephination0/41 (0%)1/41 (2.4%)4/41 (9.8%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
StrokeVascular disorders0/471/41
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventSoft Tissue TrephinationBone Trephination
Revision SurgerySurgical and medical procedures2/472/41
Radiating Pain into HandInvestigations0/471/41
Olecranon FractureSurgical and medical procedures0/471/41

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Soft Tissue TrephinationBone TrephinationTotal
Mean59.5 (40 to 73)58.8 (42 to 75)59.2 (40 to 75)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Soft Tissue TrephinationBone TrephinationTotal
Female282856
Male191332
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants)Soft Tissue TrephinationBone TrephinationTotal
Count of participants——0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Soft Tissue TrephinationBone TrephinationTotal
Canada474188
Hand Dominance
Hand Dominance(Participants)Soft Tissue TrephinationBone TrephinationTotal
Non-Dominant Arm Affected201636
Dominant Arm Affected272552
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Study locations

1 site
  • The Ottawa Hospital
    Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Campbell TM, Lapner P, Dilworth FJ, Sheikh MA, Laneuville O, Uhthoff H, Trudel G. Tendon contains more stem cells than bone at the rotator cuff repair site. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2019 Sep;28(9):1779-1787. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2019.02.008. Epub 2019 Apr 26. PubMed 31036422 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Jul 8, 2015

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 18, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01706978
Lead sponsor
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Collaborators
University of Ottawa
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 15, 2012
Start date
Apr 2012
Primary completion
Sep 2018
Completion
Sep 2018
Results posted
May 6, 2020
Last update
Sep 18, 2020

Study contacts

Peter Lapner, MD
principal investigator · The Ottawa Hospital
Guy Trudel, MD
principal investigator · University of Ottawa

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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