Recently, retear rate after repair for massive cuff tear have been improved through devised suture techniques. However, reported retear rate is relevant to preoperative atrophy and fatty degeneration. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether preoperative atrophy and fatty degeneration of rotator cuff muscles improve by successful repair. Twenty-four patients with massive rotator cuf...

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is a reliable option for symptomatic patients who have failed conservative treatments. Limited evidence exists regarding early rehabilitation time points (less than 1 year) and the influence of tear size. The authors sought to determine whether a difference exists in pre- and postoperative range of motion among small, medium, and large isolated rotator cuff tear...

PURPOSE To compare preoperative non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with arthroscopy findings in diagnosing labral and rotator cuff tears. METHODS 86 men and 60 women aged 21 to 70 (mean, 52) years underwent non-contrast MRI before arthroscopic operations on the glenohumeral joint. Slices were made in a transverse, parasagittal, and paracoronar orientation. The sequences used were T...

BACKGROUND Structural characteristics of rotator cuff tears are used in surgical decision making. However, data on the association of tear size with patient-reported pain and function are sparse. PURPOSE To assess the association of tear size, fatty infiltration, and muscle atrophy with shoulder pain/function in patients with cuff tears undergoing operative and nonoperative treatment. STUDY...

BACKGROUND After reinsertion on the humerus, the rotator cuff has limited ability to heal. Growth factor augmentation has been proposed to enhance healing in such procedure. PURPOSE This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of growth factor augmentation during rotator cuff repair. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS Eighty-eight patient...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to perform conventional ultrasonography, magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) and arthrosonography exams after rotator cuff repair to compare the results of conventional ultrasonography and arthrosonography with those of MRA as the gold standard. METHODS We prospectively studied 42 consecutive patients (14 males, 28 females; average age, 59.4 years) who rec...

Some patients with rotator cuff tear have shoulder stiffness preoperatively. Concomitant preoperative shoulder stiffness may affect postoperative outcomes of arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) for rotator cuff tear. The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes for ASD between rotator cuff tear patients with and without preoperative shoulder stiffness and to analyze ...

Obtaining kinematic patterns that depend on the shoulder injury may be important when planning rehabilitation. The main goal of this study is to explore whether the kinematic patterns of continuous and repetitive shoulder elevation motions are different according to the type of shoulder injury in question, specifically tendinopathy or rotator cuff tear, and to analyze the influence of the load ...

INTRODUCTION: Physiologic shoulder motion is dependent on a complex balance of forces. In particular, the anterior-posterior (AP) force balance in the shoulder is primarily comprised of the subscapularis and infraspinatus-teres minor complex of the rotator cuff [1]. Massive chronic rotator cuff tears, a common clinical problem, can disrupt this balance and present a management challenge. Moreov...

We evaluated whether matrix metalloproteases and their inhibitors are involved in extracellular matrix remodelling and degradation of chronic rotator cuff tears. Tendon samples were harvested from 13 patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of a rotator cuff tear. Supraspinatus specimens were harvested en bloc from the arthroscopically intact middle portion of the tendon, more than 1 cm later...