[Arthroscopic reconstruction of the rotor cuff]

Over the last years treatment of rotator cuff tears is evolving gradually from open to complete arthroscopic repair. There had been fast developments in arthroscopic techniques and instruments and there is a better understanding of biomechanical backgrounds. For a good clinical outcome it is not necessary to obtain a watertight closure in all cases but to balance the force couples in the coronal and transverse plane. There is recent discussion regarding the optimum techniques and stitches for cuff reconstruction and resulting developments in this field. To determine the individual reconstruction technique it is crucial to recognize the different tear categories. Based on these findings we are now able to treat nearly every cuff tear arthroscopically, even a retracted massive lesion.