Editorial Commentary: Pursuit of Value-Based Care for SLAP Lesions: More Work to Be Done.
Editorial Article
Overview
abstract
Type II SLAP tears are considered the most common type of SLAP lesions. However, the management of type II SLAP tears in middle-aged patients is challenging because recent evidence suggests that there is a high prevalence of type II SLAP lesions in the asymptomatic middle-aged shoulder. Treatment options for type II SLAP lesions in middle-aged patients may include biceps tenodesis, SLAP repair, or nonoperative treatment. Value-based research suggests that biceps tenodesis is the preferred cost-effective treatment modality in middle-aged patients. However, the treatment of type II SLAP lesions in younger patients is more nuanced, and isolated type II SLAP lesions in middle-aged patients are a rare, frequently misdiagnosed, and overtreated entity. As such, more work is needed to better understand the health economics of SLAP treatment across different age groups and activity levels.
