Extract
Rotator cuff tears are among the most common conditions affecting the
shoulder. Despite their ubiquity, however, there is substantial debate
concerning their management. Partial and complete rotator cuff tears are known
to occur with increasing frequency with increasing age in asymptomatic
people1-3.
The clinical results of rotator cuff repair in symptomatic patients who have
been followed for as long as ten years are good to excellent in a high
percentage of cases, even though rerupture of the cuff is known to occur 20%
to 65% of the
time4-7.
Moreover, the presence of a massive, irreparable rotator cuff tear is not
incompatible with good overhead
function8. These
observations have traditionally made clinical decision-making in the treatment
of symptomatic rotator cuff tears difficult. Historically, treatment
recommendations have included rehabilitation, surgical repair, subacromial
decompression without repair, tendon transfers, and tendon substitution
techniques6,8-21.