In sixteen patients with massive tears of the rotator cuff of the
shoulder, bridging of the defect with a freeze-dried graft of a rotator
cuff from a cadaver produced a satisfactory repair in all cases. A good or
excellent functional result was obtained in all but two patients, with a
definite decrease or absence of nocturnal pain in all sixteen. The
operative technique includes avoidance of a complete acromionectomy and an
adequate suture of the deltoid muscle to the acromion after an
acromioplasty.