Superior Labral Anterior Posterior Repair and Biceps Tenodesis Surgery: Trends of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Database

Abstract

Background:

Recent evidence has specified indications for performing superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) repair and biceps tenodesis (BT) for the treatment of bicipital-labral lesions in the shoulder. Trends in performance of these procedures are expected to reflect the growing body of research regarding this topic.

Purpose:

To report practice trends for the surgical treatment of SLAP lesions utilizing the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) database, particularly in older patients.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

The ABOS database was retrospectively queried between 2012 and 2017 by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for SLAP repair (29807), open BT (23430), and arthroscopic BT (29828). The patient population was excluded if any concomitant open shoulder procedure was performed. Trends over time were evaluated with respect to case volume, patient age, surgeon subspecialty, and whether a concomitant arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) was performed (CPT 29827).

Results:

A total of 9908 cases met inclusion/exclusion criteria: 4632 performed with RCR and 5276 performed without. The mean age of patients without RCR was 40.8 ± 13.8 years, while for those receiving RCR it was 55.0 ± 9.9 years (P < .001). In patients without RCR, there was a significant decline in rate of SLAP repairs performed over this period (P < .001). A significantly greater proportion of patients receiving open and arthroscopic BT were older than 35 years of age, compared with those receiving SLAP repair (P < .001). Within the RCR cohort, there was also a significant decline in concomitant SLAP repairs performed (P < .001) over the study period. With respect to BT, open BT was performed more frequently in the cohort without RCR (74.5%) than in the cohort with RCR (52.1%) (P < .001). Similarly, arthroscopic BT was performed more commonly in the cohort with RCR (47.9%) than in the cohort without RCR (25.5%) (P < .001).

Conclusion:

The ABOS database revealed significantly reduced rates of SLAP repairs performed in recent times. Trends with age remained consistent over time, in that SLAP repairs were predominantly performed in younger patients. Open BT was performed more frequently overall, but with an increased proportion of arthroscopic BT occurring with RCR. Arthroscopic BT was performed much more frequently with RCR than without.