SLAP Repair or Isolated Biceps Tenodesis May Yield Similar Outcomes for SLAP Lesions in Females

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report outcomes following Superior Labral Anterior to Posterior (SLAP) repair and biceps tenodesis (BT) for SLAP tears in females. METHODS: Female patients who underwent SLAP repair or BT for treatment of isolated SLAP tears between 1/1/2014 and 9/1/2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients undergoing a concomitant procedure were excluded. Patients completed American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), single assessment numerical evaluation (SANE), and visual analog scale (VAS), and a custom return to activity surveys at a minimum 2 years post-operatively. RESULTS: The study included 65 female patients; 38 (58.4%) underwent arthroscopic SLAP repair and 27 (41.5%) underwent open- or arthroscopic BT. There was no significant difference in laterality of procedure but patients in the repair group were significantly younger (36.7±8.44 years versus 44.4±10.4 years, P = .003). At minimum 2-year follow-up, both cohorts experienced ASES scores (SLAP: 78.3 versus BT: 80.0, P = .591), SANE scores (77.0 versus 80.1, P = .722) and VAS scores (26.4 versus 24.4, P = .530). Rates of participation in sports prior to surgery were higher for patients undergoing SLAP repair compared to BT (58.8% versus 37.0%, P = .152) and reported rates of return-to-sport after surgery (75.0% versus 80.0%, P = 1.000) were similar. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that female patients undergoing surgical treatment of SLAP lesions with either SLAP repair or BT show acceptable patient-reported outcomes and return to sport at a minimum 2 years. However, due to the potential for selection bias and surgeon preference towards SLAP repair for patients of younger age and greater activity level, further controlled research is necessary in order to draw definitive conclusions regarding optimal surgical management of SLAP lesions in females.