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Updated: Sep 6, 2025
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS OF REPAIR OF PARTIAL AND COMPLETE ROTATOR CUFF TEARS
Thiago Storti1,2, Anna Beatriz Salles Ramos3, Rafael Salomon Silva Faria1
1Instituto do Ombro de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Objective:
To perform a comparative analysis of the results of arthroscopic surgical treatment of partial and complete rotator cuff (RC) injuries.
Methods:
Eighty-four shoulders with partial or complete RC tear that underwent arthroscopic repair were retrospectively evaluated using UCLA and Constant scores, assessment of strength, and range of motion. Fifty-seven shoulders with complete injuries and 27 with partial injuries were identified.
Results:
Age (p = 0.007) was higher in those with complete lesions (mean 61.4 ± 7.9 years), compared to those with partial lesions (mean 56.5 ± 7.1 years). The complete injuries group showed a higher elevation difference in relation to the contralateral shoulder compared to the partial injuries group (partial injuries: -1.1% vs complete injuries: -16.5%), statistically significant difference (p = 0.0004). In addition, complete lesions presented 96.5% of excellent and good results and a median of 35 in the UCLA score and partial lesions presented 84.6% of good/ excellent results and a median of 34. The Constant score showed 91.2% of satisfactory results in complete lesions and 77% in partial ones.
Conclusion:
Arthroscopic repair shows satisfactory functional results for both partial and complete rotator cuff injuries, with similar outcomes between groups. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Comparative Study.
