Portal-extension approach for the repair of small and medium rotator cuff tears

One hundred ten consecutive cases (110 patients) of arthroscopically assisted rotator cuff repair through a limited, portal-extension approach were retrospectively reviewed. The average age of our patients was 58 years (range, 30 to 79). There were 35 women and 75 men. The dominant shoulder was affe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American journal of sports medicine Vol. 28; no. 3; p. 312
Main Authors Park, J Y, Levine, W N, Marra, G, Pollock, R G, Flatow, E L, Bigliani, L U
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.05.2000
Subjects
Adult
Aged
Arthroplasty - methods
Arthroscopy
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pain Measurement
Range of Motion, Articular
Rotator Cuff - physiopathology
Rotator Cuff - surgery
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:One hundred ten consecutive cases (110 patients) of arthroscopically assisted rotator cuff repair through a limited, portal-extension approach were retrospectively reviewed. The average age of our patients was 58 years (range, 30 to 79). There were 35 women and 75 men. The dominant shoulder was affected in 67 patients (61%). All patients underwent a standard arthroscopic decompression. Acromioclavicular resections were performed in 15% of patients. The anterolateral portal was extended in the direction of Langer's lines to a total length of no more than 3 cm. The torn tendon was accessed through a small deltoid muscle split and repaired with nonabsorbable sutures. At an average follow-up of 35 months (range, 24 to 86), 106 patients (96%) had achieved excellent or satisfactory results. The average American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons pain score improved from 7 preoperatively to 2 postoperatively. All but four patients were satisfied with the clinical result and reported significant improvement in active elevation and strength and a significant lessening of pain. Late acromioclavicular joint pain contributed to failure in three of the four patients with unsatisfactory results in this series. The results of this study suggest that, in selected patients with small to medium rotator cuff tears, arthroscopically assisted repair through an anterolateral portal-extension approach can produce excellent results.
ISSN:0363-5465
1552-3365
DOI:10.1177/03635465000280030501