Functional outcome of arthroscopic repair of full-thickness degenerative rotator cuff tears

BackgroundIn the past decade, in spite of the advancement in the clinical knowledge, imaging modalities for precise diagnosis and minimally invasive surgeries, the ideal management for degenerative rotator cuff tears is still a matter of debate.MethodsThis prospective study was conducted from January 2013 to August 2016, involved 16 patients (09 males, 07 females) with the mean age of 62.81 ± 7.24 years (range 54-80 years), who had the full-thickness degenerative tear of the rotator cuff. Arthroscopic repair using single row technique was performed in all the patients. The outcome was assessed using ASES questionnaire; pain score by visual analogue scale (VAS) and range of motion of the shoulder joint at presentation, 24 weeks and at final follow-up.ResultsAt the mean follow-up of 24.68 ± 3.17 months (range 20-29 months), the mean ASES score and pain score (VAS) improved significantly from 31.16 ± 5.57 to 71.79 ± 3.92 (p-value <0.001) and 5.63 ± 0.72 to 1.9 ± 0.92 (p-value <0.001) respectively. There was significant improvement in all the movements of the shoulder joint. 14 patients were satisfied with the final functional outcome.ConclusionArthroscopic repair of a full thickness degenerative tear of the rotator cuff using single row repair technique leads to satisfactory functional outcome in terms of activities of daily living, pain scores and range of motion.