Arthroscopic partial repair for massive rotator cuff tears: does it work? A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Complete arthroscopic repair of massive rotator cuff tears (MRCT) is preferred but not always feasible due to tendon retraction.
• Arthroscopic partial repair serves as an alternative for irreparable MRCT.
• Existing clinical studies on partial repair outcomes lack comprehensive synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes of arthroscopic partial repair for irreparable massive rotator cuff tears.
• To synthesize existing evidence on the efficacy and safety of this surgical technique.

Main Methods:

• A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed and Cochrane Library.
• Search terms included "arthroscopy," "massive rotator cuff tears," and "arthroscopic partial repair."
• Eleven clinical studies involving 643 patients were included after applying inclusion-exclusion criteria.

Main Results:

• Patients undergoing arthroscopic partial repair showed significant improvements in clinical and functional scores and muscle strength postoperatively.
• The mean modified Coleman score indicated low to moderate methodological quality of the included studies (58/100).
• Structural failure rate was 48.9%, with an overall reoperation rate of 2.9%.

Conclusions:

• Arthroscopic partial repair appears to be a safe and effective option for irreparable contracted massive rotator cuff tears.
• The current literature quality is low to moderate, necessitating further high-quality research.
• Higher quality studies are required to definitively confirm the long-term efficacy and outcomes of this procedure.