Arthroscopic side-to-side repair of transtendinous rotator cuff tears with remnants preserved / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic side-to-side suture with remnants preserved in repair of transtendinous rotator cuff tears.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of 17 patients who had been treated by arthroscopic side-to-side suture with remnants preserved for transtendinous rotator cuff tear caused by trauma at Sports Medicine Center, The Second Hospital Affiliated to Inner Mongolia Medical University from January 2017 to January 2020. There were 11 males and 6 females with an age of (47.9±8.3) years and a duration from injury to surgery of (50.4±21.3) d. Recorded were range of motion and muscle strength of the shoulder, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder function score, Constant-Murley shoulder function score, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, re-tears and complications before operation and at the last follow-up.Results:The 17 patients were followed up for (16.5±3.5) months after operation. Retear of the rotator cuff occurred in 2 patients after operation while MRI showed good healing of the rotator cuff in the other patients with no such postoperative complications as infection or wound dehiscence. At preoperation and the last follow-up, respectively, the range of shoulder flexion was 152.9°±8.5° and 172.4°±5.6°, the abductor muscle strength 3.5 (2.6, 4.1) kg and 6.9 (6.3, 8.3) kg, the external rotator muscle strength (3.8±1.0) kg and (5.9±1.6) kg, the internal rotator muscle strength 3.9 (3.4,4.7) kg and 5.2 (4.5,5.9) kg, the UCLA score (13.2±1.9) points and (30.9±2.4) points, the Constant score (40.1±2.8) points and (86.1±4.6) points, and the VAS score (6.7±0.8) points and (0.9±0.6) points, all showing a significant difference between preoperation and the last follow-up ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In repair of transtendinous rotator cuff tears, arthroscopic side-to-side suture with remnants preserved can lead to significantly improved clinical outcomes in range of motion, muscle strength, functional recovery and pain relief.