[Arthroscopic-assisted mini-open repair of rotator cuff tears]

We retrospectively evaluated the results of patients who underwent arthroscopic-assisted mini-open repair of rotator cuff tears.

Twenty-three patients (7 males, 16 females; mean age 56 years; range 41 to 75 years) underwent arthroscopic-assisted mini-open repair for nonretracted rotator cuff tears. The right shoulder was involved in 15 patients and the left in eight patients; 83% being on the dominant side. The range of motion was measured with a goniometer, and muscle strength by manual examination. The patients were assessed by physical examination, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES), the UCLA scale, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The mean follow-up was 32 months (range 12 to 61 months).

All the patients had medium-sized ruptures. Biceps tenotomy was performed in three patients for tears affecting more than 50% of the biceps tendon. The mean preoperative active forward flexion increased from 99 degrees to 161 degrees , and active external rotation from 28 degrees to 50 degrees postoperatively (p<0.05); the strength of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles increased significantly (p<0.05). The mean UCLA score was found as 31.6, showing an excellent result in nine patients (39.1%), good in 12 patients (52.2%), moderate in one (4.4%), and poor in one patient. The mean preoperative ASES score increased from 23.7 to 92.4 (p<0.05). The mean healing time was 1.7 months (range 1.5 to 12 months). Twenty-one patients (91.3%) were satisfied with the outcome. Of 16 patients with postoperative MRI scans, three (18.8%) exhibited recurrent ruptures.

In selective cases, the clinical and functional results are successful following arthroscopic-assisted mini-open repair for rotator cuff tears.