Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 24, 2025
Anterior Capsular Reconstruction with Human Dermal Allograft for Irreparable Subscapularis Tears
Published on: May 9, 2025
Interposition Graft Bridging Reconstruction of Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears Using Acellular Dermal Matrix:
Moayd Abdullah Awad1, Sara Sparavalo1, Jie Ma1
1Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Purpose:
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the medium-term clinical outcomes for patients who underwent bridging reconstruction.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted for all patients who underwent bridging reconstruction between 2010 and 2018. Patients who were missing either pre- or postoperative outcome scores were excluded. All included patients completed self-reported questionnaires (Western Ontario Rotator Cuff [WORC] and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand [DASH]) pre- and postoperatively at 6 months, 1 year, and annually thereafter. All scores were reported out of 100.
Results:
Ninety-one patients initially met our inclusion criteria, and 33 were excluded owing to lack of either pre- or postoperative outcome scores. Nine patients were lost to follow-up; therefore, 49 patients were finally evaluated, including 30 males (61.2%) and 19 females (38.8%) with an age of 59.6 ± 10.4 years (mean ± standard deviation) and mean follow-up of 5.3 years (range 2 to 9). Both WORC and DASH scores significantly improved from pre- to postoperatively (WORC: 69.6 ± 12.2 to 27.9 ± 23.7, P < .001; DASH: 51.5 ± 17.5 to 24.5 ± 23.0, P = .001). For WORC and DASH, 92% and 74% of patients, respectively, met the minimal clinical importance difference.
Conclusion:
Our results showed that patients' clinical outcome scores significantly improved with an average of 5-year follow-up, which demonstrates that bridging reconstruction is a safe procedure with promising midterm clinical outcomes.
Level Of Evidence:
IV, retrospective case series.
