Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) correlates with American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score and Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index in patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Background: Patient-reported outcomes continue to grow in importance. This study compared the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score with the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score and Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index score in patients before and after primary rotator cuff repair.

Methods: This study was a retrospective review of a prospectively filled database of 333 subjects who underwent primary rotator cuff repair by a single surgeon between 2010 and 2017. The database included preoperative and postoperative SANE, ASES, and WORC evaluations. The mean follow-up time was 37.5 months. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated comparing each score preoperatively and at least 1 year postoperatively.

Results: A strong correlation was found between the SANE and ASES scores of subjects in the preoperative period (r = 0.769, P < .0001) and the follow-up period of at least 1 year (r = 0.781, P < .0001). A similarly strong correlation was found between the SANE and WORC scores of subjects in the preoperative period (r = 0.757, P < .0001) and the follow-up period of at least 1 year (r = 0.813, P < .0001). On stratification analysis, correlation of SANE scores with ASES and WORC scores was found when subjects were grouped by sex, age, cuff tear size, and workers' compensation status.

Conclusion: This study shows a significant correlation between the SANE, ASES, and WORC scores of primary rotator cuff repair subjects in the preoperative and long-term follow-up periods. We recommend the SANE score as an adjunct to clinical outcome data that can be used in patients regardless of sex, cuff tear size, or workers' compensation status.