To highlight the preoperative risk factors that influence postoperative patient satisfaction following Rotator Cuff Repair (RCR) and to determine whether this satisfaction was correlated with tendon healing.

Preoperative factors influence patient satisfaction, assessed by SSV (Subjective Shoulder Value) postoperatively, with a correlation with tendon healing.

With a mean age of 60.6 years (40–72), 102 patients with arthroscopic RCR were included retrospectively. The preoperative SSV score was less than or equal to 50%. There was clinical and radiological follow-up with an ultrasound evaluation of tendon healing 6 months postoperatively. We divided the patients into 2 groups using a postoperative SSV of 85% as the cut-off; 55 patients in the first group (SSV>85%); and 47 patients in the second group (SSV<85%).

In multivariate analysis, Preoperative risk factors for poor postoperative SSV after RCR were: tobacco use [−8.41 (−13.64; −3.17) p=0.002], fatty infiltration [−3.65 (−6.24 −1.06) p=0.006] and workers compensation [−19.15 (−24.04; −14.27) p<0.001]. When patients were not in workers compensation, the lower their SSV score before surgery, the higher their postoperative SSV score. For patients in workers compensation, the higher the SSV preoperatively, the less elevated was SSV postoperatively. The Sugaya ultrasound classification did not influence the SSV score (p=0.15)

Smoking, fatty infiltration and patients in workers compensation are factors of poorer subjective results evaluated by the SSV score. Tendon healing did not influence the SSV score and patient satisfaction.

IV, cohort study.