Primary comparison arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) versus diagnostic arthroscopy (DA): outcomes of the trial at 5 years follow-up
| ASD (n=53) | DA (n=55) | Between group difference, ASD versus DA | P value | |
| Primary outcomes | ||||
| Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, at rest | 6.2 (1.6 to 10.8) | 8.2 (3.5 to 12.8) | −2.0 (−8.5 to 4.6) | 0.56 |
| VAS score, on arm activity | 12.4 (5.8 to 19.0) | 20.4 (13.8 to 26.9) | −8.0 (−17.3 to 1.3) | 0.093 |
| Secondary outcomes | ||||
| Constant-Murley score | 82.8 (78.4 to 87.3) | 75.7 (71.3 to 80.1) | 7.1 (0.9 to 13.4) | 0.025 |
| Simple shoulder test score | 10.7 (10.1 to 11.3) | 10.3 (9.7 to 11.0) | 0.3 (−0.5 to 1.2) | 0.45 |
| 15D score | 0.90 (0.89 to 0.92) | 0.92 (0.90 to 0.93) | −0.01 (−0.03 to 0.01) | 0.32 |
| SF-36 score | ||||
| Physical health | 84.0 (80.6 to 87.4) | 85.4 (82.0 to 88.8) | −1.4 (−6.1 to 3.4) | 0.58 |
| Mental health | 79.9 (76.9 to 82.9) | 80.1 (77.0 to 83.2) | −0.2 (−4.5 to 4.1) | 0.92 |
| Proportion of patients able to return to previous leisure activities* | 0.91 (0.83 to 0.98) | 0.86 (0.76 to 0.95) | 0.05 (−0.07 to 0.17) | 0.40 |
| Proportion of responders† | 0.99 (0.95 to 1.0) | 0.91 (0.84 to 0.99) | 0.07 (−0.01 to 0.15) | 0.080 |
| Patients’ satisfaction with treatment‡ | 89.7 (84.5 to 94.9) | 85.7 (80.6 to 90.8) | 4.0 (−3.2 to 11.3) | 0.28 |
| No (%) complications and adverse effects§ | 3 (5) | 2 (3) | – | – |
Values are means with 95% CIs unless otherwise indicated. A lower score indicates the desired (better) treatment outcome in pain VAS score and complications, while a higher score indicates the same in all other outcomes. Between-group differences may not exactly equal the difference in changes in score between the ASD and diagnostic arthroscopy groups because of the adjustment for baseline imbalance in the mixed-effects model.
*Patients ability to return to previous leisure activities was assessed with the following question: ‘Have you been able to return to your previous leisure activities?’ (‘yes’ or ‘no’).
†Patients’ satisfaction with the treatment outcome was elicited with a question: ‘How satisfied are you with the outcome of your treatment?’ on a 5-item scale. Patients who reported very satisfied or satisfied were categorised as ‘Responders’.
‡Patients’ global assessment of satisfaction to the treatment was elicited with this question: ‘Are you satisfied with the treatment you have received?’ We used a VAS ranging from 0 (completely disappointed) to 100 (very satisfied).
§Complications directly related to the interventions were registered.