Methodological considerations in the multicenter cohort study of partial-thickness supraspinatus tear repair by Audigé et al.

Abstract

This correspondence comments on the multicenter cohort study by Audig & eacute; et al. (Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2026) reporting outcomes of arthroscopic repair for partial-thickness supraspinatus tears. We highlight four aspects of the study that, in our view, would benefit from further clarification or additional discussion: (1) limited information regarding the surgical indications for tear completion, which may complicate interpretation of treatment-selection effects; (2) the absence of a technique-specific analysis of adverse events, particularly postoperative stiffness; (3) the unreported methodology used for intraoperative Ellman grade determination, the primary classification variable and the only factor significantly associated with tear completion; and (4) the potential residual influence of differential concomitant acromioplasty across tear-location groups despite statistical adjustment. Addressing these issues would further strengthen the interpretation and clinical applicability of this otherwise valuable prospective multicenter dataset.