Cuff Repair Should Be Done Arthroscopically: The Future Is Now-In Opposition

New instrumentation and advancing technology have encouraged many surgeons to contemplate arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs. Despite the excitement of surgeons and patients alike, we must insure that we are improving on what has proven to be a reliable technique with classic open surgery. Already, this initial enthusiasm has been tempered by outcome studies that suggest failure rates of arthroscopic repairs are significantly higher than repairs done with conventional open surgery. Although certain smaller tears can be very adequately repaired incorporating arthroscopic techniques, many larger tears should still be treated with open surgery.