Impact of preoperative blood lipid levels on early outcomes following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: A retrospective analysis

Rotator cuff tears (RCTs), a prevalent shoulder condition, have seen advancements in treatment with medical technology. Arthroscopic minimally invasive surgery is now a primary approach due to its reduced trauma and complications, and the success of such repairs is crucial for patient recovery and quality of life. Recent research has indicated that dyslipidemia may hinder tendon healing. Thus, we aimed to investigate the relationship between preoperative lipid levels and postoperative outcomes, offering a scientific foundation for clinical practice. We retrospectively analyzed 104 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair at our hospital between April 2022 and January 2025. Each patient underwent a comprehensive blood lipid test within 1 week of presurgery. Functional assessments were conducted using the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder scoring scale and the Constant-Murley scoring scale, both preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Based on the UCLA scores, patients were categorized into excellent-recovery and poor-recovery groups. We examined the relationship between preoperative blood lipid levels and postoperative outcomes. Of the 104 patients diagnosed with RCTs, 68 exhibited excellent postoperative functional activity recovery, while 36 showed poor recovery. The poor recovery group displayed higher preoperative levels of total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) than the excellent recovery group, along with lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (all P-values were