Arthroscopic repair of large rotator cuff tears using the interval slide technique

In some cases of larger and chronic rotator cuff tears, the supraspinatus tendon may be held in a retracted position by the contracted tissue of the rotator interval and the attached coracohumeral ligament. This study was performed to evaluate the utility and clinical effectiveness of an arthroscopic release of the rotator interval from the supraspinatus tendon combined with repair of the rotator cuff.

Prospective clinical follow-up study.

Forty-three arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs were performed and followed up for an average of 32 months. All of these patients had large, contracted tears that could not be adequately mobilized without a rotator interval release. In each case, an arthroscopic rotator interval release and superior capsular release were performed to improve cuff mobility. End-to-bone and side-to-side repair was performed depending on the configuration of the tear. Postoperatively, the patients were evaluated using a modified University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) rating system.

Forty-two repairs were available for at least 2-year follow-up. No cases of deltoid morbidity or progressive superior migration of the humeral head were seen. The average overall preoperative score was 17.4 (range, 9-26). The average postoperative score was 36.4 (range, 20-45). We saw 21 excellent, 6 good, 11 fair, and 4 poor results based on prior criteria established for smaller tears. All of the average postoperative scoring categories were improved from preoperative scores. Only 3 patients were not satisfied with their results.

The use of the interval slide technique greatly improves supraspinatus mobility in the case of large retracted tears. Although average improvements were less than in our previous study of smaller tears, complete or partial repair of these tears yields good results and high patient satisfaction.