Purpose: To compare the outcome of patients who underwent rotator cuff repair using all arthroscopic
or mini-open repair techniques. Type of Study: Retrospective comparative study. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 54 patients who underwent either mini-open or arthroscopic
rotator cuff repair. Twenty-six patients underwent mini-open repair and 28 patients
had arthroscopic repair. Follow-up averaged 33 months (range, 18 to 48 months) for
the mini-open group and 19 months (range, 13 to 26 months) for the arthroscopic group.
The patient groups were similar with regard to age, activity level, mechanisms of
injury, associated findings at surgery, and tear size measured in square centimeters.
The outcome for the 2 groups was evaluated using a modified American Shoulder and
Elbow Society (ASES) score. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson correlations
and the Student t test. Results: The tear size averaged 2.7 cm2 for the mini-open group and 2.0 cm2 for the arthroscopic group (P = .754). All patients showed significant improvement in their scores for pain, satisfaction,
and function at the time of follow-up. The average preoperative and postoperative
scores for the mini-open group were as follows: pain 17 and 27 (30 possible points),
satisfaction 3 and 9 (10 possible points), function 32 and 53 (60 possible points),
and total 52 and 89 (100 possible points) (P < .05). For patients who underwent arthroscopic repair, average preoperative and
postoperative scores were as follows: pain 12 and 26, satisfaction 2 and 9, function
28 and 51, and total, 42 and 86 (P < .05). Improvement in scores within each group was significant, but the difference
in total scores between the 2 techniques was not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study confirms that short-term results for arthroscopic and mini-open rotator
cuff repair are similar and supports continued use of arthroscopic repair techniques.
Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.
Key Words
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© 2005 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
