Functional outcome of arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs: a correlation of anatomic and clinical results

Even though several studies have revealed excellent clinical results with arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tendons, poor healing of the repair and retearing of the tendon occur in many cases. Patterns of outcome correlating functional capacity and anatomic integrity of the repaired rotator cuff are not well defined. The goal of this prospective study was to determine the pattern of anatomic and functional outcomes among patients undergoing single-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. This study confirmed that single-row arthroscopic repair of small- and medium-sized supraspinatus tendon tears significantly improves rotator cuff integrity and functional outcomes. A completely healed tendon was observed in 60% of the cases. Age is a predictor of cuff integrity after the operation. Functional improvement was greater and significant in patients with complete healing at follow-up; however, a recurrent tear did not preclude positive functional results.