Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2026
Knotless Independent Double-Row Repair and Biceps Augmentation for Anterosuperior Rotator Cuff Tears
Published on: January 23, 2026
Comparison of debridement versus suture in large rotator cuff tears: long-term study of 64 shoulders
Thomas Motycka1, Alexander Lehner, Franz Landsiedl
11st Department of the Orthopaedic Hospital Vienna-Speising, Speisinger Str. 109, 1130 Vienna, Austria. thomas.motycka@oss.at
Introduction:
The goal of this study is to determine whether suturing is superior to non-closure in terms of the subjective long-term outcome in large rotator cuff tears.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 64 shoulders with rotator cuff tears of at least 3 cm diameter and followed up for a mean period of 5 years and 8 months were retrospectively examined. The patients' medical history, clinical findings, radiographs and Constant scores were studied. Patients whose tears had been closed with an open suture (n=33) were compared with those whose tears had not been closed (n=31).
Results:
Neither the comparison between open suturing and debridement nor that between open and arthroscopic debridement reveal a significant difference with regard to the overall Constant score or the individual parameters.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that in the long-term, suturing of large rotator cuff tears is not superior to debridement.
