Application of radiofrequency technology in the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome: a prospective randomized control study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effect of radiofrequency therapy in the arthroscopic treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome.Methods Fifty patients with subacromial impingement syndrome treated arthroscopically were enrolled in the study.Preoperatively,the average visual analogue scale (VAS)score of all 50 patients was 5.3±1.8; the average UCLA score was 15.8±4.2; the average Constant score was 65.6±16.2; the average Simple Shoulder Test (SST) score was 6.5±3.3; the forward elevation was averagely 127.4°±40.1°; the external rotation was averagely 34.4°±23.1°; the internal rotation was averagely at L1 level.Patients were randomly assigned to radiofrequency group which received subacromial decompression and Topaz radiofrequency treatment,or control group which only underwent subacromial decompression.The VAS score,UCLA score,Constant score,and SST score were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes 3 weeks,6 weeks,3 months,6 months and 1 year after operation.The assessment of shoulder range of motion included forward elevation、external rotation and internal rotation.The clinical outcome data were compared between the radiofrequency group and the control group,as well as before and after operation within each group.Results At the final follow-up,the average VAS score of all 50 patients was 0.4±1.1; the average UCLA score was 32.9±3.0; the average Constant score was 96.4±5.1; the average SST score was 11.3±1.2; the forward elevation was averagely 161.5°±13.7°; the external rotation was averagely 52.2°±10.9°; the internal rotation was averagely at T7 level.There were statistical differences between preoperative and postoperative indexes mentioned above.However,there were no statistical differences in indexes between the radiofrequency group and the control group at any time point.Conclusion The Topaz radiofrequency therapy has no significant impact on clinical outcome of arthroscopic treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome. Key words: Rotator cuff; Shoulder impingement syndrome; Shoulder joint; Treatment outcome