Early anchor displacement after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is a success and became the mainstream method of reconstruction in recent years. Due to the technical development in shoulder surgery, novel suture anchors and high-strength sutures are widely used providing convincing fixation, however anchor pullout still remains a problem. The aim of our study was to observe early anchor movement on a large patient cohort, and identify clinical, biological and technical variables that can lead to this complication.

A total of 5,327 patients who had arthroscopic rotator cuff reconstruction for full thickness tear were included in the study. Radiographs taken immediately after surgery were observed and occurrent anchor displacement was recorded. Patient-specific, tendon-specific, bone-specific and implant-specific variables were studied. Any possible relationship between these factors and anchor displacement was investigated.

Early anchor movement occurred in six cases (0.1%). The involvement of two or more tendons, retraction of the tendon by more than 2 cm and the use of four anchors was associated with higher incidence of anchor displacement, however the difference was not significant.

Based on our study, anchor pullout occurring immediately after surgery is a relatively rare complication. Instead of timing the radiologic examination directly after the procedure, assessment of the anchors' position four to six weeks after surgery should be considered.