SUMMARY
The purpose of this study was to determine the role of acromioplasty in the arthroscopic repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. All randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials evaluating the outcomes of with and without acromioplasty were included in our meta-analysis. After the studies were selected by two reviewers, data were collected and extracted independently. Five prospective randomized studies involving 465 patients were included. The current meta-analysis did not show any significant difference between acromioplasty and nonacromioplasty groups with regard to the outcomes for American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Constant-Murley score, University of California-Los Angeles score (P = .17, .05, and .13, respectively). There were also no significant difference in VAS for pain and reoperation rate between the two groups (P = .87, and .57, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in clinical outcomes for patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with and without acromioplasty at short-term follow-up.