Clinical and structural results of arthroscopic repair of bursal-side partial-thickness rotator cuff tears

BackgroundThere have been few studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the clinical outcomes and structural results after arthroscopic repair of bursal-side partial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PTRCTs).MethodsFrom 2009 to 2012, 73 consecutive patients with bursal-side PTRCTs underwent arthroscopic repair. Fifty-nine of them were retrospectively evaluated as Ellman classification grade 2 (group A, n = 11) or grade 3 (group B, n = 48). All repairs were performed with a technique that preserved the intact articular fibers and repaired the avulsed bursal flap. The University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) score and Constant score were assessed before the operation and at the final follow-up. Postoperative cuff integrity was determined with MRI following Sugaya's classification.ResultsAt the 2-year follow-up, the average UCLA score increased from 17.3 ± 3.7 to 33.3 ± 2.2, and the Constant score increased from 65.3 ± 12.9 to 93.9 ± 5.1 (P < .001). Forty-nine patients received follow-up MRI examinations at an average of 10.3 months after surgery. Of these 49 patients, 41 patients (83.7%) had a healed tendon and 8 patients had partial tears. Neither the clinical scores nor the retear rates on follow-up MRI were significantly different between the 2 groups.ConclusionsArthroscopic repair of bursal-side PTRCTs achieved good functional and structural outcomes at a minimum of 2 years after surgery.