Arthroscopic single row and double row suture bridge repair in the treatment of elderly rotator cuff injuries

Abstract

Objective To explore the clinical effect of double-row and single-row suture bridge repair for rotator cuff injury in elderly patients. Methods 118 patients with rotator cuff injury were randomly divided into control group (single row anchor fixation under arthroscopy) and observation group (double row suture bridge repair under arthroscopy). The ASES score, Constant-Murley score and CLA score before and after operation were compared between the two groups. The incidence of re-tear after surgery between two groups were compared. Results There was no significant difference in the Constant-Murley, UCLA and ASES scores of the four tear degrees before treatment (P>0.05), there was no significant difference in the three scores of mild tear between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05), but there were significant differences in the three scores of large, severe and moderate tear between the two groups (P<0.05). It is better than the control group. The rate of re-tearing in the control group (17 cases) (28.81%) was significantly higher than that in the observation group (6/59) (10.17%) (χ2=6.535, P=0.011). Conclusion Both double-row and single-row suture bridges are feasible for rotator cuff injury in the elderly, but double-row suture bridges are widely used and can be used to treat huge, severe and moderate tears. Key words: Aged; Rotator cuff injury; Suture bridge technique; Shoulder; Arthroscopy