Biologic augmentation of rotator cuff repair

Rotator cuff repair is commonly performed to provide pain relief and improve shoulder function in patients with pain and disability related to cuff tears. However, re-tear rates following repair remain remarkably high in certain patient populations. Biologic strategies to reinforce repairs or augment tendon healing, such as extracellular matrices and platelet-rich plasma therapy, are an area of increased interest among orthopedic surgeons to improve these suboptimal healing rates. As more products have become commercially available, much attention has been turned to determining the optimal augmentation technique. However, data supporting the role and efficacy of these products is limited. Thus careful patient selection remains the most essential strategy for optimizing tendon healing potential following rotator cuff repair.     

All arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs

The arthroscopic operation for repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears is successful and has the advantages of glenohumeral joint inspection, treatment of intra-articular lesions, smaller incisions, no deltoid detachment, less soft tissue dissection, less pain, and more rapid rehabilitation. However, these advantages must be balanced against the technical difficulty of this method, which limits its application to surgeons skilled in both open and arthroscopic shoulder operations. This article contains many technical pearls to, as much as possible, simplify and improve all arthroscopic cuff repair.     

Outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs

Recently, advances in arthroscopic techniques have allowed shoulder surgeons to perform fully arthroscopic repair of full-thickness tears. Outcome data have shown that improvement is inconsistent between studies. We performed a retrospective review of 105 consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair from 1999 to 2002. Preoperative and postoperative evaluation consisted of a history, questionnaire, and examination to determine American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, Constant, and visual analog pain scores. Complete data were available for a minimum of 12 months (range, 12-45 months) for 71 patients. Increases in range of motion and outcome scores and associated reductions in visual analog scores were all significant. With massive tears, scores and pain were significantly improved. Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair reliably improves functional deficits and pain regardless of tear size. Smaller tears yield significant improvement in American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, Constant, and pain scores. Functional improvement was seen with massive tears, but gains in strength and motion were less dramatic.     

Ten-year assessment of primary rotator cuff repairs

A review of 30 patients who underwent a primary repair of their rotator cuff 10 years previously was performed. The average age of the patients at the time the operation was performed was 51 years (range 20 to 65 years). Twenty-seven men and three women were reviewed. An acromioplasty was performed in all patients. No patient had a distal clavicle excision. There were 12 small, 11 medium, five large, and two massive tears. A significant decrease in pain after surgery and a return to preinjury activities occurred in 82% of the patients. Subjective results were excellent or good in 70% of the patients. Good or excellent results were achieved in 80% of the 25 patients with objective data. In the overall results (subjective and objective), 64% of the patients had a good or excellent outcome. By Neer's criteria, 72% satisfactory results were achieved. No significant prognostic indicators were identified in this study, although a trend toward better results occurred in patients less than 55 years old and in those patients with smallor medium-sized tears. The findings of this study confirm the view that the results of rotator cuff repairs do not deteriorate, with follow-up extending to 10 years.     

Evaluation and treatment of failed rotator cuff repairs

Factors associated with failed rotator cuff repair generally fall into two categories: (1) factors associated with misdiagnosis or incomplete diagnosis or (2) factors associated with surgical technique. Causes of failure associated with misdiagnosis include cervical disc disease, thoracic outlet syndrome, AC joint arthrosis, suprascapular nerve entrapment, instability, os acromiale, and biceps tendon pathology. Factors associated with surgical technique include inadequate decompression, excessive acromial bone resection, deltoid dehiscence, deltoid reattachment failure, and nerve injury. Appropriate postoperative rehabilitation is also critical to avoid early failure or postoperative stiff shoulder.Careful examination of the patient preoperatively to determine the initial cause of failure will lead to good decision making and aid in avoiding unnecessary surgery that may not provide any significant improvement in the patient’s overall status. Short-term follow-up indicates that patients with a combined massive rotator cuff defect can achieve a favorable outcome with salvage procedures, such as a latissimus dorsi tendon transfer.     

Passive tension and gap formation of rotator cuff repairs

The objectives of this study were to quantify the relationship between passive tension of rotator cuff repairs and arm position and to examine the effect of this tension on repair gap formation. Five patients undergoing open surgical rotator cuff repair of the supraspinatus tendon were recruited. Tendon tension was recorded as the supraspinatus was advanced into a bone trough and secured. The relationship between arm position and repair tension was then measured. Standardized rotator cuff tears were created in 3 cadaveric shoulders and repaired by use of the intraoperative technique. The difference in tension measured between 0 degrees and 30 degrees abduction was statically applied for 24 hours and the gap formation measured. Repair tension increased with advancement of the supraspinatus tendon into the bone trough. Abduction reduced the repair load. The mean reduction in load by 30 degrees abduction was 34 N. Twenty-four hours of 34-N loading caused gap formation of 9 mm in cadaveric rotator cuff repairs. Passive tension in surgically repaired rotator cuffs may contribute to repair failure and can be modified by arm positioning.     

Long-term outcome after structural failure of rotator cuff repairs

BACKGROUND: In a previous study, twenty consecutive patients with a rerupture of the rotator cuff, as documented with magnetic resonance imaging, were found to have significantly less pain and better function and strength, compared with the preoperative state, at 3.2 years postoperatively. It was the purpose of this study to determine the clinical and structural outcomes of these reruptures in the same twenty patients after a longer period of follow-up. METHODS: At a mean of 7.6 years postoperatively, the twenty patients were reexamined clinically and with standard radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging with use of the same clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance imaging criteria as were utilized in the review at 3.2 years. The mean age at the time of final follow-up was sixty-six years. RESULTS: Nineteen of the twenty patients continued to be either very satisfied or satisfied with the outcome. The relative Constant score averaged 88% and was not significantly different from the score at 3.2 years, which averaged 83%. The mean scores for pain, function, and strength also had not changed significantly. Overall, the twenty reruptures had not increased in size, and eight of them had healed structurally at the time of the 7.6-year follow-up. Seven of these eight reruptures had been of the supraspinatus tendon only, and seven had been smaller than 400 mm(2) at 3.2 years. Twelve reruptures persisted, and five were larger than the preoperative tear. Fatty infiltration of the infraspinatus muscle progressed significantly (p = 0.015) and the acromiohumeral distance decreased significantly (p = 0.006) between the two follow-up periods. Neither fatty infiltration of the supraspinatus and subscapularis muscles nor glenohumeral osteoarthritis progressed significantly. CONCLUSIONS: At an average of 7.6 years, the clinical outcomes after structural failure of rotator cuff repairs remained significantly improved over the preoperative state in terms of pain, function, strength, and patient satisfaction. Overall, the reruptures that had been present at 3.2 years did not increase in size. We also found that reruptures of the supraspinatus that had been smaller than 400 mm(2) had the potential to heal.     

Clinical outcome after structural failure of rotator cuff repairs

BACKGROUND: The clinical outcome for patients with documented rerupture after open repair of one or more rotator cuff tendons is not well known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of a consecutive series of rotator cuff reruptures after repair and to provide information concerning the advisability of rotator cuff repair in situations in which there may be a high probability of rerupture. METHODS: During prospective follow-up after rotator cuff repairs, we detected, with magnetic resonance imaging, structural failure of the repair in twenty patients, who had a mean age of fifty-nine years at the time of the rotator cuff repair. All patients were clinically examined for the purpose of this report at a mean of thirty-eight months. RESULTS: The reruptures invariably involved the originally torn tendon but were smaller than the original tear in sixteen of the twenty patients. Fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles, atrophy of the supraspinatus muscle, and glenohumeral osteoarthritis progressed significantly from the preoperative state (p < 0.05). At the time of the most recent follow-up, the subjective shoulder value averaged 75 percent of the value for a normal shoulder. Eleven patients were very satisfied with the result, six were satisfied, two were disappointed, and one was dissatisfied. The mean relative score according to the system of Constant and Murley had increased from 49 percent of the score for a normal shoulder preoperatively to 83 percent postoperatively (p = 0.0001). Pain had decreased significantly, and the ranges of active, pain-free forward elevation and abduction as well as the abduction strength had improved significantly (p < 0.05). The clinical outcome was significantly correlated with the size of the postoperative tear, the stage of postoperative fatty muscle degeneration of the infraspinatus and subscapularis, the postoperative acromiohumeral distance, and the degree of postoperative glenohumeral osteoarthritis (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study documents that an attempt at rotator cuff repair significantly decreases pain (p = 0.0026) and significantly improves function (p = 0.0005) and strength (p = 0.0137) even if magnetic resonance imaging documents that the repair has failed. This finding suggests that the potential for rerupture should not be considered a formal contraindication to an attempt at repair if optimal functional recovery is the goal of treatment.     

Open rotator cuff repairs in patients 70 years and older

Background: Symptomatic rotator cuff tear is a commonly diagnosed problem in patients over the age of 70; however, there is controversy regarding the management of this condition. We set out to investigate whether this group has satisfactory results with operative management of their rotator cuff tears. Methods: Retrospective review of one surgeon's patients who have undergone an open rotator cuff repair at age 70 or older. Outcome assessment included history of work and recreational activities, review of medical records, clinical examination, the Simple Shoulder Test (SST) and the Constant Shoulder Score (CSS). Results: A total of 96 patients (104 shoulders) underwent open rotator cuff repair during the study period. Sixteen patients (16 shoulders) were lost to follow‐up leaving 80 patients (88 shoulders) for review. Mean duration of symptoms was 18.3 months, mean age at surgery was 74.2 years and mean time to follow‐up was 40.8 months. The mean SST and CSS scores were 9.8 and 80.1, respectively. In both tests, patients scored best in the pain relief categories and worst in strength‐measuring areas. A total of 73 patients (92.7%) reported satisfaction with their surgery. None of these were limited by their shoulders in returning to pre‐injury independence, work or recreations. They were either completely pain free or had only mild symptoms. Conclusion: Patients in our study reflected a high satisfaction rate of 92.7% as well as excellent pain relief and a high level of function when related to their daily activities, independence and recreations or work. Level of evidence: Level IV (observational study without control – retrospective study).     

Arthroscopic bone tunnel augmentation for rotator cuff repair

Transosseous repair of the rotator cuff has been shown to recreate the anatomic rotator cuff footprint in a secure and cost-efficient manner. However, the potential for sutures cutting through bone remains a concern with this strategy. Devices have been used successfully during open transosseous rotator cuff repair to augment the bone tunnels, potentially avoiding suture cut-out through the weak bone of the greater tuberosity. Recently, arthroscopic transosseous fixation of rotator cuff tears has become an alternative to arthroscopic suture anchor and open transosseous techniques. This method is expected to have the same potential pitfalls at the bone-suture interface as the open technique. The authors describe a technique for rotator cuff repair using a secure method of arthroscopic bone tunnel augmentation.     

Operative treatment of failed repairs of the rotator cuff.

Thirty-one patients had a repeat repair after a failure of a previously performed repair of the rotator cuff, and the causes of the original failure and the results of the repeat repair were analyzed. The clinical situation was complex, with multiple factors contributing to the failures. A large or massive tear of the cuff in thirty patients (97 per cent) and persistent subacromial impingement in twenty-eight patients (90 per cent) were the most common factors associated with failure. The over-all result of the repeat repair was satisfactory in sixteen patients (52 per cent) and unsatisfactory in fifteen (48 per cent). Twenty-five patients (81 per cent) had satisfactory relief of pain. However, fourteen patients (45 per cent) had persistent weakness that led to an unsatisfactory result. The factors that were associated with a better result were an intact acromion, an intact origin of the deltoid muscle, and the finding that the remaining tissue of the rotator cuff was of good quality. The factors that were associated with an inferior result were a previous lateral acromionectomy, a previously detached origin of the deltoid muscle, and the finding that the tissue of the rotator cuff that was available at the time of the repeat operation was of poor quality. Persistent pain is the primary indication for a repeat repair. The functional results are not as predictable, especially when the tissue of the cuff is poor and the deltoid origin has been detached previously.