Rotator Cuff Repair With Patch Augmentation Is Associated With Lower Retear Rates for Large Tears: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing clinical outcomes of rotator cuff repair with and without patch augmentation. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines by searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify randomized controlled trials that directly compared outcomes between rotator cuff repair (RCR) with versus without patch augmentation. Patients were evaluated based on retear rate, histological outcomes, radiological outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes (Constant score; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES] score; University of California-Los Angeles shoulder scale; Simple Shoulder Test; EuroQol-visual analog scale; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score; and PENN shoulder score questionnaire). RESULTS: Six studies (1 level I, 5 level II) met inclusion criteria, including 188 patients undergoing RCR alone (Control) and 193 patients undergoing RCR with patch augmentation (Patch). Patient age ranged from 56.0 to 68.0 years. The mean follow-up time ranged from 14.0 to 68.4 months. The average body mass index ranged from 24.4 to 29.4, and the overall percentage of males ranged from 32.5% to 82.3%. Three studies found significantly decreased retear rates with patch augmentation. The retear rate ranged from 34.0% to 65.4% in the Control group and 9.1% to 52.9% in the Patch group. One study found a significant difference for the Constant score favoring the Patch group. Two studies found a significant difference for the ASES score favoring the Patch group. One study found significantly better results with patch augmentation in terms of repaired tendon thickness and footprint coverage, based on magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Patch augmentation of rotator cuff repairs may be associated with lower retear rates for large tears. There is limited evidence to suggest that patch augmentation is associated with improved patient-reported outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, systematic review of level I and II studies.

Editorial Commentary: "There's No Crying in Baseball," But There Is Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Elbow.

Osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum is a rare and ultrasonically identifiable disease of the dominant elbow of preadolescent baseball players as young as 9 years of age. We must choose to protect these young players, either by initiating a screening program to identify the disease at an early stage when treatment results in an acceptable lifelong outcome or by vociferously limiting the daily, weekly, and yearly participation in this vulnerable group.

Femoral tunnel defect filled with a synthetic dowel graft for a single-staged revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Bone defects are a common obstacle to successful revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. We describe the use of a synthetic bone graft plug to fill a cylindric defect after femoral interference screw removal. During revision ACL reconstruction performed through a 2-incision technique, we placed an outside-in guidewire for a new femoral tunnel that converged with the femoral screw from the primary ACL reconstruction. The screw was removed, and the resultant defect appeared very similar to the cylindric bone defect left after an osteochondral graft harvest. The confluence of the defect and the planned femoral tunnel would have allowed a "windshield wiper" effect of the graft at the lateral wall of the notch. We filled the screw defect with a synthetic bone graft plug to limit the aperture size of the femoral tunnel and to buttress the tendinous portion of the revision ACL graft, while maintaining proper anatomic graft position. In this article, we present a readily available all-arthroscopic option for repairing cylindric bone defects without the risk of an allograft or the morbidity of an autograft for a single-stage revision ACL reconstruction.