Effect Of Rotator Cuff Repair Research Articles

Evaluating the Effect of Rotator Cuff Repair With Concomitant Distal Claviculectomy on 2 and 4 Year Reoperation Rates.

The current literature has differing views on the efficacy of concomitant distal claviculectomy (DC) during rotator cuff repair (RCR) in preventing revision surgery. Our aim was to investigate the revision surgery rate between RCR with DC and RCR without DC. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using a national claims database. Patients undergoing open or arthroscopic primary RCR with or without concomitant DC were identified. The primary outcome was 4-year revision surgery rates. Univariate analysis was conducted using chi-square or Student t tests. Multivariable analysis was conducted using logistic regression, and an adjusted number needed to harm was calculated. A total of 131,232 patients met inclusion criteria. After logistic regression, patients undergoing RCR with DC had higher odds of requiring a subsequent DC procedure [OR; 95% CI; P-value (1.49; 1.35-1.64; P < 0.001)] but lower odds of any revision surgery (0.87; 0.80-0.91; P < 0.001) within 4 years than those who underwent RCR without DC. Although associated with a lower rate of overall revision surgeries within 2 and 4 years of RCR, those who underwent RCR with DC were 85% more likely at 2 years and 49% more likely at 4 years to undergo revision surgery of the distal clavicle than those without concomitant DC.

Combination Effect of Rotator Cuff Repair with Secretome-hypoxia MSCs Ameliorates TNMD, RUNX2, and Healing Histology Score in Rotator Cuff Tear Rats.

In order to treat a rat model of rotator cuff rupture, this work concentrated on the expression of TNMD and RUNX2, followed by rotator cuff repair and secretome-hMSCs. A total of thirty 10-weeks-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into five groups randomly, RC on week 0, lesion treated with a rotator cuff repair and saline (RC + NaCl group, n = 6) for 2 and 8 weeks, and lesion treated with a rotator cuff repair and secretome-hMSCs (RC + secretome-hMSC group, n = 6) for 2 and 8 weeks. The supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscle-tendon units were obtained for histological and biomechanical investigation at 0, 2 and 8 weeks following injury. The findings showed that, in comparison with the RC + NaCl group, secretome-hMSCs significantly improved tendon repair by upregulating TNMD and RUNX2 expression and histology score. Combining Secretome-hypoxia MSCs with RC healing may help rats with rotator cuff tears.

Effect of total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair on pain degree and complications of elderly patients with rotator cuff injury within 72 hours after operation

To analyze the clinical effect of rotator cuff repair and small incision rotator cuff repair under the total arthroscopy in elderly patients with rotator cuff injury. A total of 60 elderly patients with rotator cuff injury from January 2017 to November 2018 were selected as the research objects, including 37 males and 23 females;aged from 61 to 77 years old with an average of (63.45±12.34) years old;disease duration ranged from 6 to 12 months, with an average of (5.32±1.02 ) months;29 cases on the left side and 31 cases on the right side. Among them, 30 patients underwent total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (observation group), 30 patients underwent small-incision rotator cuff repair(control group). The scores of University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) shoulder rating scale, before and after surgery in the two groups were observed and recorded. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons(ASES) score, Constant-Murley score, shoulder flexion range of motion, external rotation range of motion, abduction range of motion, visual analogue scale(VAS) within 72 hours after surgery, as well as the complcations were compared. The postoperative UCLA score, ASES score and Constant-Murley score between two groups were significantly higher than those before operation (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative UCLA, ASES and Constant-Murley score between two groups (P>0.05). The shoulder flexion range of motion, external rotation range of motion and abduction range of motion between two groups were significantly higher than those before operation (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups after operation (P>0.05). The VAS at 24, 48 and 72 h after operation in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05). The total incidence of complications in observation group(13.33%, 4/30) was sinificantly lower(P<0.05)than that in control group(33.33%, 10/30). Total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and small incision rotator cuff repair can improve the shoulder function after rotator cuff injury in elderly, but the degree of pain and complications within 72 hours after total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair are significantly better than small incision rotator cuff repair, which can be selected according to the clinical situation and needs of patients.

Intermittent fasting promotes repair of rotator cuff injury in the early postoperative period by regulating the gut microbiota.

BackgroundThe repair of rotator cuff injury is affected by lifestyle and metabolic factors. Intermittent fasting (IF) can promote repair of damaged tissue by regulating intestinal flora, which provides an idea of therapy for rotator cuff injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fasting on rotator cuff repair after injury, and the role of intestinal flora or a single strain in this process.MethodsMice underwent rotator cuff injury were treated with intermittent fasting or fed ad libitum. Fasting began one month before surgery and continued until euthanasia. Fresh feces were collected at 2 weeks before surgery, on the day of surgery, and 2, 4, 8 weeks postoperatively for 16S rRNA microbiome sequencing. Supraspinatus tendon-humerus ​(SSTH) complex was collected at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. Live parabacteroides distasonis (Parabacteroides distasonis) was used for repair of rotator cuff injury, with equal amount of pasteurized P. distasonis (KPD) or sterile anaerobic phosphate buffer saline (PBS) as control. Biomechanical, radiological, histological analysis were used to assess the effect of rotator cuff repair.ResultsBiomechanical, radiological and histological analysis indicated that intermittent fasting significantly promoted the repair of rotator cuff injury in the early postoperative period (P ＜ 0.05), but significantly inhibited the repair of rotator cuff injury at 4 weeks postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05). 16S rRNA Microbiome sequencing result showed that P. distasonis was the species with the most obvious changes in intestinal flora of mice after fasting. The results of tensile test, X-ray analysis and histological analysis indicated that the live P. distasonis (LPD) significantly impaired the biomechanical properties, bone regeneration and fibrocartilage regeneration of enthesis postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).ConclusionIntermittent fasting promoted repair of rotator cuff injury in the early postoperative period by regulating the gut microbiota, in which P. distasonis played an important role.The translational potential of this articleIntermittent fasting (IF) may be a beneficial lifestyle for the repair of rotator cuff injury in the early postoperative period in clinical, and the influence of a certain strain on the repair of rotator cuff injury may also provide an idea for the treatment of rotator cuff injury in the future.

Surgery for rotator cuff tears

Surgery for rotator cuff tears

Does arthroscopic rotator cuff repair improve patients' activity levels?

Rotator cuff repair decreases pain, improves range of motion, and increases strength. Whether these improvements translate to an improvement in a patient's activity level postoperatively remains unknown. The Shoulder Activity Level is a valid and reliable outcomes survey that can be used to measure a patient's shoulder-specific activity level. Currently, there are no studies that examine the effect of rotator cuff repair on shoulder activity level. Preoperative patient-determined outcomes scores collected prospectively on patients undergoing rotator cuff repair were compared with postoperative scores at a minimum of 2 years. These scores included the Shoulder Activity Level, Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form, Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, and simple shoulder test. Inclusion criteria were patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Included were 281 shoulders from 273 patients with a mean follow-up of 3.7 years. The postoperative median Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (42 vs. 94), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (41 vs. 95), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (30 vs. 95), and simple shoulder test (4 vs. 11) scores were statistically significantly improved compared with preoperative scores (P < .0001). The postoperative median Shoulder Activity Level score decreased compared with the preoperative score (12 vs. 11; P < .0001). Patients reported a statistically significant deterioration of their Shoulder Activity Level score after rotator cuff repair compared with their preoperative scores, although disease-specific and joint-specific quality of life scores all had statistically significantly improvement. This study suggests that patients generally have (1) significant improvements in their quality of life and (2) small deteriorations in activity level after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

The Effect of Rotator Cuff Repair on Natural History: A Systematic Review of Intermediate to Long-Term Outcomes.

Background:Rotator cuff disease can have a progressive natural history of increasing tear size and worsening function. It remains unknown whether rotator cuff repair alters this natural history.Methods:A systematic review of the intermediate to long-term (minimum 5-year) results of operative rotator cuff repair and no repair of rotator cuff injuries was performed to compare (1) patient-based outcomes, (2) future surgical intervention, (3) future tear progression or recurrence, and (4) tear size. The no-repair group included both conservative treatment and surgical treatment without repair. After the application of selection criteria, 29 studies with 1,583 patients remained. Meta-regression was conducted to adjust for baseline age, sex, tear size, and duration of follow-up.Results:Comparison of the repair and no-repair groups revealed no significant differences in terms of age (p = 0.36), sex (p = 0.88), study level of evidence (p = 0.86), or Coleman methodology score (p = 0.8). The duration of follow-up was significantly longer for the no-repair group (p = 0.004), whereas baseline tear size was significantly larger in the repair group (p = 0.014). The percentage of patients requiring additional surgery was significantly higher in the no-repair group after adjustment for age, sex, duration of follow-up, and tear size (9.5% higher in estimated means between groups [95% confidence interval, 2.1% to 17%]; p = 0.012). The likelihood of a recurrent defect (repair group) or extension of the prior tear (no-repair group) was not different between groups after adjustment for age, sex, duration of follow-up, and tear size (p = 0.4). There were no differences between the repair and no-repair groups in terms of the Constant score after adjustment for age, sex, duration of follow-up, and tear size (p = 0.31). The final tear size was significantly larger in the no-repair group than the repair group (967 mm2 higher in estimated means between groups [95% confidence interval, 771 to 1,164 mm2]; p < 0.001).Conclusions:At intermediate to long-term follow-up, rotator cuff repair was associated with decreased final tear size and decreased need for future surgery after adjusting for age, sex, duration of follow-up, and tear size. The likelihood of a recurrent defect after rotator cuff repair did not differ from that of tear extension after nonoperative treatment. Thus, rotator cuff repair may not alter natural history.Level of Evidence:Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Effectiveness of rotator cuff repair with manipulation release and arthroscopic debridement for rotator cuff tear with shoulder stiffness

To investigate effectiveness of rotator cuff repair with manipulation release and arthroscopic debridement for rotator cuff tear with shoulder stiffness. A retrospectively study was performed on the data of 15 patients with rotator cuff tear combined with shoulder stiffness (stiff group) and 24 patients without stiffness (non-stiff group) between January 2014 and December 2015. The patients in the stiff group underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with manipulation release and arthroscopic debridement while the patients in the non-stiff group only received arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The patients in the stiff group were older than the patients in the non-stiff group, showing significant difference ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in gender, type of rotator cuff tear, side of rotator cuff tear, and combined with diabetes between 2 groups ( P>0.05). The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and range of motion (ROM) were used to evaluate the effectiveness after operation. All incisions healed by first intention without any complication after operation. The patients were followed up 13-31 months in the stiff group (mean, 19.2 months) and 13-23 months in the non-stiff group (mean, 20.3 months). There was no significant difference in follow- up time between 2 groups ( t=-0.573, P=0.570). The VAS score in the stiff group was higher than that in the non-stiff group before operation ( t=-2.166, P=0.037); there was no significant difference between 2 groups at 3, 6, 12 months and last follow-up ( P>0.05). The forward flexion and external rotation were significantly lower in the stiff group than those in the non-stiff group before operation and at 3 months after operation ( P<0.05); there was no significant difference between 2 groups at 6, 12 months and last follow-up ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the internal rotation was beyond L 3 level in 2 groups. The preoperative UCLA score was significant lower in the stiff group than that in the non-stiff group ( P=0.037); but there was no significant difference in UCLA score at last follow-up between 2 groups ( P=0.786). There was no significant difference in pre- and post-operative ASES scores between 2 groups ( P>0.05). Satisfactory effectiveness can be achieved in the patients with rotator cuff tear combined with shoulder stiffness after rotator cuff repair with manipulation release and arthroscopic debridement, although the patients with shoulder stiffness had slower postoperative recovery of ROM until 6 months after operation.

Functional Outcomes After Double-Row Versus Single-Row Rotator Cuff Repair: A Prospective Randomized Trial.

Background:The functional benefits of double-row (DR) versus single-row (SR) rotator cuff repair are not clearly established.Purpose:To examine the effect of DR versus SR rotator cuff repair on functional outcomes and strength recovery in patients with full-thickness tears.Study Design:Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2.Methods:Forty-nine patients were randomized to DR or SR repairs; 36 patients (13 women, 23 men; mean age, 62 ± 7 years; 20 SR, 16 DR) were assessed at a mean 2.2 ± 1.6 years after surgery (range, 1-7 years; tear size: 17 medium, 13 large, 9 massive). The following data were recorded prior to surgery and at follow-up: Penn shoulder score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) results; range of motion (ROM) for shoulder flexion, external rotation (ER) at 0° and 90° of abduction, and internal rotation (IR) at 90° of abduction; and shoulder strength (Lafayette manual muscle tester) in empty- and full-can tests, abduction, and ER at 0° of abduction. Treatment (SR vs DR) × time (pre- vs postoperative) mixed-model analysis of variance was used to assess the effect of rotator cuff repair.Results:Rotator cuff repair markedly improved Penn, ASES, and SST scores (P < .001), with similar improvement between SR and DR repairs (treatment × time, P = .38-.10) and excellent scores at follow-up (DR vs SR: Penn, 91 ± 11 vs 92 ± 11 [P = .73]; ASES, 87 ± 12 vs 92 ± 12 [P = .21]; SST, 11.4 ± 1.0 vs 11.3 ± 1.0 [P = .76]). Patients with DR repairs lost ER ROM at 0° of abduction (preoperative to final follow-up, 7° ± 10° loss [P = .013]). ER ROM did not significantly change with SR repair (5° ± 14° gain, P = .16; treatment by time, P = .008). This effect was not apparent for ER ROM at 90° of abduction (treatment × time, P = .26). IR ROM improved from preoperative to final follow-up (P < .01; SR, 17° ± 27°; DR, 7° ± 21°; treatment × time, P = .23). Rotator cuff repair markedly improved strength in empty-can (54%), full-can (66%), abduction (47%), and ER (54%) strength (all P < .001), with no difference between SR and DR repairs (P = .23-.75). All clinical tests with the exception of the lift-off test were normalized at follow-up (P < .05).Conclusion:Outcomes were not different between SR or DR repair, with generally excellent outcomes for both groups. Rotator cuff repair and subsequent rehabilitation markedly improved shoulder strength.

A randomized clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of rotator cuff repair with or without augmentation using porcine small intestine submucosa for patients with moderate to large rotator cuff tears: a pilot study

The rate of rotator cuff repair failure is between 13% and 67%. Porcine small intestine submucosa (SIS) may be suitable to augment the repair. There were 62 patients with moderate and large cuff tears randomized to repair alone (control) or augmentation with SIS (Restore Orthobiologic Implant; DePuy, Warsaw, IN, USA). Primary outcome was repair failure using magnetic resonance arthrography. Randomization occurred on completion of the repair. Patients and assessors were blind to group. Assessments occurred preoperatively and postoperatively at 2 and 6 weeks and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. There were 62 patients randomized (34 SIS, 28 control). Patient demographics, rotator cuff tear characteristics, and repair details were similar between groups. At 1 year, risk of failure was 52.9% (18/34) in the SIS group and 65.4% (17/26) in the control group for a risk difference of 12% (80% confidence interval, -7% to 32%) or relative risk of 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.53-1.24, P = .33) in favor of SIS. At 1 and 2 years, the mean difference between groups for patient-reported outcomes was small and consistent with chance but did not exclude the possibility of a clinically important difference. There was no statistically significant difference (P = .50) between the SIS group (59.6 ± 38.9; range, 3-112) and the control group (52.7 ± 38.6; range, 5-112) in number of days to being narcotic and pain free (<20 mm on a 100-mm visual analog scale). We found no evidence that SIS-augmented rotator cuff repair provides superior outcomes in patients with moderate rotator cuff tears.

The effect of rotator cuff repair on early overhead shoulder function: a study in 1600 consecutive rotator cuff repairs

Rotator cuff tears are often surgically repaired, generally with good results. However, repairs not infrequently retear, and how important repair integrity is with respect to early functional outcomes after rotator cuff repair is unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a retear on overhead activities in a large cohort of patients after rotator cuff repair. This was a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data from 1600 consecutive rotator cuff repairs. Outcomes were based on patient responses to the L'Insalata Shoulder Questionnaire and findings on examination preoperatively and at 6 months of follow-up. Repair integrity was determined by ultrasound imaging at the 6-month follow-up visit. The 1600 patients (885 men, 715 women) were a mean age of 58 years. Postoperative ultrasound imaging found 13% (211 of 1600) of repairs had retorn. Significant improvements were seen irrespective of rotator cuff integrity in pain levels with overhead activity (P < .0001) and range of motion in forward flexion (P < .001) and abduction (P < .01). Patients with intact repairs had 9.5 N greater supraspinatus strength (P < .0001) and 6.9 N greater external rotation strength (P < .01) than those with a retear. To our knowledge, this is the largest study to evaluate the effect of rotator cuff repair integrity on shoulder function. Patients who had an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair reported significant improvements in overhead pain levels irrespective of the repair integrity at 6 months. Repair integrity influenced supraspinatus and external rotation power, where patients with intact repairs were stronger than those with a retear.

One-year Patient-reported Outcomes After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Do Not Correlate With Mild to Moderate Psychological Distress.

Patients with shoulder and rotator cuff pathology who exhibit greater levels of psychological distress report inferior preoperative self-assessments of pain and function. In several other areas of orthopaedics, higher levels of distress correlate with a higher likelihood of persistent pain and disability after recovery from surgery. To our knowledge, the relationship between psychological distress and outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair has not been similarly investigated. (1) Are higher levels of preoperative psychological distress associated with differences in outcome scores (visual analog scale [VAS] for pain, Simple Shoulder Test, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score) 1 year after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair? (2) Are higher levels of preoperative psychological distress associated with less improvement in outcome scores (VAS for pain, Simple Shoulder Test, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score) 1 year after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair? (3) Does the prevalence of psychological distress in a population with full-thickness rotator cuff tears change when assessed preoperatively and 1 year after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair? Eighty-five patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears were prospectively enrolled; 70 patients (82%) were assessed at 1-year followup. During the study period, the three participating surgeons performed 269 rotator cuff repairs; in large part, the low overall rate of enrollment was related to two surgeons enrolling only two patients total in the initial 14 months of the study. Psychological distress was quantified using the Distress Risk Assessment Method questionnaire, and patients completed self-assessments including the VAS for pain, the Simple Shoulder Test, and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score preoperatively and 1 year after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Fifty of 85 patients (59%) had normal levels of distress, 26 of 85 (31%) had moderate levels of distress, and nine of 85 (11%) had severe levels of distress. Statistical models were used to assess the effect of psychological distress on patient self-assessment of shoulder pain and function at 1 year after surgery. With the numbers available, distressed patients were not different from nondistressed patients in terms of postoperative VAS for pain (1.9 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.0-2.8] versus 1.0 [95% CI, 0.5-1.4], p = 0.10), Simple Shoulder Test (9 [95% CI, 8.1-10.4] versus 11 [95% CI, 10.0-11.0], p = 0.06), or American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores (80 [95% CI, 72-88] versus 88 [95% CI, 84-92], p = 0.08) 1 year after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. With the numbers available, distressed patients also were not different from nondistressed patients in terms of the amount of improvement in scores between preoperative assessment and 1-year followup on the VAS for pain (3 [95% CI, 2.2-4.1] versus 2 [95% CI, 1.4-2.9], p = 0.10), Simple Shoulder Test (5.2 [95% CI, 3.7-6.6] versus 5.0 [95% CI, 4.2-5.8], p = 0.86), or American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scale (38 [95% CI, 29-47] versus 30 [95% CI, 25-36], p = 0.16). The prevalence of psychological distress in our patient population was lower at 1 year after surgery 14 of 70 (20%) versus 35 of 85 (41%) preoperatively (odds ratio, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.17-0.74; p = 0.005). Mild to moderate levels of distress did not diminish patient-reported outcomes to a clinically important degree in this small series of patients with rotator cuff tears. This contrasts with reports from other areas of orthopaedic surgery and may be related to a more self-limited course of symptoms in patients with rotator cuff disease or possibly to a beneficial effect of rotator cuff repair on sleep quality or other unrecognized determinants of psychosocial status. Level I, prognostic study.

Functional Outcomes after Double Row Versus Single Row Rotator Cuff Repair

Objectives:The effect of single row (SR) versus double row (DR) rotator cuff repair on functional outcomes was examined in a prospective randomized design.Methods:Fifty patients were randomized to DR or SR repairs; 39 patients (13 women, 26 men, 23 SR, 16 DR, age 62±7 yr) were assessed at an average of 2.2±1.6 yr after surgery (range 1-7 yr; tear size 17 medium, 13 large, 9 massive). The following data were recorded prior to surgery and at follow-up: Penn, ASES and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) scores; range of motion (ROM) for shoulder flexion, external rotation (ER) at 0º and 90º abduction, and internal rotation (IR) at 90º abduction; shoulder strength (Lafayette Manual Muscle Tester) in empty and full can tests, abduction and ER at 0º abduction. Treatment (SR vs. DR) by Time (pre-op vs. post-op) mixed model analysis of variance was used to assess the effect of rotator cuff repair. It was estimated that with 20 patients per group a 10-point difference in improvement in ASES scores between SR and DR treatments could be detected at an alpha level of 0.05 with 80% power.Results:Outcome Scores: RC repair markedly improved Penn, ASES and SST scores (P<0.001), with similar improvement between single versus double row repairs (Treatment by Time P=.49 to P=.67), and excellent scores at follow-up (Double Row vs. Single Row: Penn 91±11 vs. 91±12, P=.98; ASES 92±9 vs 87 ±15, P=.24; SST 11.2±1.2 vs. 11.4±1.0, P=.58). ROM: Patients with DR repairs lost ER ROM at 0º abduction (pre-op to final follow-up 7±10º loss, P=.013). ER ROM did not change with SR repair (3.9±15.6º gain, P=.24; Treatment by Time P=.017). This effect was not apparent for ER ROM at 90º abduction (Treatment by Time P=.26). IR ROM improved from pre-op to final follow-up (P<0.01, SR 17±18º, DR 13±23º, Treatment by Time P=.31). Strength: RC repair markedly improved strength in Empty Can (51%), Full Can (54%), Abduction (45%) and ER (31 %) strength (all P<.001), with no difference between SR and DR repairs (P=.54 to P=.81). Outcomes were not adversely affected by RC tear size, retraction, gender, or BMI. Patients <60 yo had better ASES scores than older patients (96±9 vs. 87±13, P=.021) but an age effect was not apparent for Penn (P=.14) or SST (P=.17).Conclusion:Patients had excellent outcomes regardless of whether they had a SR or DR repair. Rotator cuff repair, and subsequent rehabilitation, markedly improved shoulder strength. DR repair was associated with a loss of ER ROM but this loss did not impact other outcome measures.

Rotator cuff injuries in medico-legal practice

Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder weakness and pain.1 Rotator cuff tears have been found in 36%2 of people with shoulder pain. One of the major difficulties from a medico-legal perspective is how to differentiate reliably between constitutional (degenerative) tears and work-related injuries or traumatic tears. Rotator cuff tears may be caused by extrinsic or intrinsic factors. Tears may be a result of exclusively extrinsic, exclusively intrinsic or a mixture of both factors. A tear resulting from extrinsic factors may be a result of a single traumatic event or degeneration and cuff failure due to a repetitive act, a ‘cumulative trauma disorder’. A tear due to exclusively intrinsic factors is a result of tendon degeneration as part of the ageing process with no associated mechanical cause. The crucial question when considering the issue of causation for a painful tendon tear is whether the pathology has a mechanical cause or is due to the normal ageing process. There still remains considerable range and difference of opinion among orthopaedic surgeons about surgical indications for cuff tears3 and there is much ongoing work looking at the clinical and cost effectiveness of rotator cuff repair.4 Young adults typically have normal rotator cuff tendons. A single traumatic event causing a rotator cuff tear in an individual with normal tendons may include mechanisms such as a sporting injury, a significant fall or a road traffic collision. Acute rotator cuff tears generally occur in previously asymptomatic patients, who identify a significant traumatic incident leading to a sudden onset of symptoms including severe pain, immediate loss of strength and functional impairment of the shoulder. Acute rotator cuff tears only account for 8% of patients who present with symptomatic rotator cuffs.5 Correct and early clinical diagnosis is often difficult.6 Tears …

Paper 172: An RCT to Compare the Effectiveness of Rotator Cuff Repair With or Without Restore in Patients With Moderate to Large Rotator Cuff Tears

IntroductionThere are several unique characteristics of porcine small intestine submucosa (Restore) that may facilitate tendon healing even in areas of poor vascularization.

Augmented subscapularis muscle transposition for rotator cuff repair during shoulder arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The effectiveness of rotator cuff repair by augmented subscapularis transposition via the Leeds-Keio artificial ligament was evaluated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty. The minimum follow-up period was 2 years. Final clinical scores (Hospital for Special Surgery scoring system) and the incidence of radiolucency and upward migration of shoulder components in 20 shoulders with rotator cuff repair by augmented subscapularis transposition were superior to those of 19 shoulders with cuff repair by subscapularis transposition alone and similar to those of 22 shoulders with intact rotator cuffs. In shoulders with augmented subscapularis transposition and intact cuffs, clinical scores continued to improve even after the first postoperative year. Our augmented subscapularis transposition did not increase postoperative complications. We conclude that cuff repair by augmented subscapularis transposition is an acceptable alternative for repairing a supraspinatus or supraspinatus and infraspinatus rotator cuff defect in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty.