Prevalence of Rotator Cuff Atrophy and Fatty Infiltration in Patients Undergoing Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

BackgroundRotator cuff fatty infiltration and atrophy are risk factors for worse outcomes after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of preoperative fatty infiltration and atrophy in TSA patients compared to control patients without glenohumeral osteoarthritis.MethodsWe retrospectively identified 30 patients undergoing TSA for primary glenohumeral arthritis who had preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. TSA patients were matched by age and sex with control patients without arthritis or full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Blinded observers graded fatty infiltration of the 4 rotator cuff muscles and measured supraspinatus atrophy by the occupation ratio. A multivariate analysis was used to correlate arthritis, age, sex, and body mass index with rotator cuff atrophy and fatty infiltration.ResultsGoutallier grade ≥ 2 fatty infiltration was seen in at least one muscle for 13/30 (43%) TSA patients and 1/30 (3%) control patients (P < .01). The average supras...