Purpose
The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the repair integrity on magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI), and secondarily, clinical outcomes, of medium to large (2-4
cm) rotator cuff tears treated using an arthroscopic triple-loaded medially based
single-row repair technique augmented laterally with bone marrow vents.
Methods
This is a retrospective outcomes study of patients with full-thickness medium to large
(2-4 cm) rotator cuff tears repaired by 4 surgeons at a single institution over a
2-year period with a minimum of 24 months’ follow-up. A single-row repair with tension-minimizing
medially based triple-loaded anchors and laterally placed bone marrow vents was used.
Patients completed a satisfaction and pain survey, the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff
index questionnaire, and a Short Form-36 version 2 survey to evaluate clinical outcomes.
MRI was obtained at a minimum of 24 months follow-up to assess repair integrity.
Results
A total of 64 males and 27 females with a mean age of 59.7 (range, 34-82) were included.
The mean tear size was 2.6 cm in anteroposterior dimension, treated with a mean of
2.2 anchors. Eighty-three of 91 shoulders (91%) reported being completely satisfied
with their result. The median Western Ontario Rotator Cuff score was 95.2% of normal,
with a significant difference found between those with an intact repair and those
with a full-thickness recurrent defect (median, 95.9% vs. 73.8%; P = .003). Postoperative MRI obtained at a median of 32 months (range, 24-48) demonstrated
an intact repair in 84 of 91 shoulders (92%), with failure defined as a full-thickness
defect of the tendon.
Conclusions
Arthroscopic repair of medium to large rotator cuff tears using triple-loaded medially
based single-row repair augmented with marrow vents resulted in a 92% healing rate
by MRI and excellent patient-reported outcomes
Level of Evidence
Level IV, retrospective case series.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 13, 2020
Accepted:
August 5,
2020
Received:
December 12,
2016
Footnotes
See related article on page 38
The authors report the following potential conflicts of interest or sources of funding: F.A.B. reports receiving consultancy fees from DePuy-Mitek and Linvatec, grants from the F. Alan Barber MD FACS Research Fund, lecture fees from DePuy-Mitek and Linvatec, patents with DePuy-Mitek and Arthrex, royalties from DePuy-Mitek and Linvatec, payment for developing educational presentations for DePuy-Mitek and Linvatec, stock options from Johnson and Johnson, and travel expenses from DePuy-Mitek. J.P.B. reports receiving consultancy fees and grants from CONMED. B.D.D. reports receiving grants and consultancy fees from DePuy-Mitek. M.F.G. reports grants from DePuy-Mitek, Linvatec, and CONMED, consultancy fees from DePuy-Mitek, fees for lectures from DePuy-Mitek, patents with DePuy-Mitek, and royalties from Wolters Kluwer. R.P.K. reports grants from DePuy-Mitek, consultancy fees from DePuy-Mitek and MicroAire, and royalties from Smith & Nephew. S.J.S. reports royalties from CONMED/Linvatec. Full ICMJE author disclosure forms are available for this article online, as supplementary material.
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