Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025
Development of a Rabbit Chronic-Like Rotator Cuff Injury Model for Study of Fibrosis and Muscular Fatty Degeneration
Published on: March 31, 2023
Subacromial bursal preservation can enhance rotator cuff tendon regeneration: a comparative rat supraspinatus tendon
Yucheng Sun1, Jae-Man Kwak2, Erica Kholinne3
1Department of Hand Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, College of Medicine, University of Nantong, Nantong, China; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, ASAN Medical Center, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background:
The role of subacromial bursa in rotator cuff surgery is unknown. This study aimed to assess the subacromial bursa's role in the healing of supraspinatus tendon injury in a rat model.
Methods:
Twenty-three male Sprague-Dawley rats (9 weeks old; weight, approximately 296 g) were used in this study. Three rats used as biomechanical study controls were killed at 12 weeks of age. A supraspinatus tendon defect was made bilaterally in 20 rats, whereas an additional subacromial bursa sectioning was performed on the left side. Six rats were killed for biomechanical testing and 4 were killed for histologic observation at 3 and 9 weeks, respectively.
Results:
The regenerated tendon in the bursal preservation group showed significantly superior biomechanical properties in maximum load to failure at 3 and 9 weeks and stiffness at 9 weeks after surgery compared with the bursal removal group. The modified Bonar scale scores showed better regenerated supraspinatus tendons in the bursal preservation group.
Conclusion:
The present study found that the subacromial bursa plays an important role in rotator cuff regeneration in this rat supraspinatus injury model. Extensive bursectomy of the subacromial bursa may not be recommended in rotator cuff repair surgery, though future in vivo human studies are needed to confirm these observations.
