This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) CME: Take the activities for this article: Shoulder/Elbow Test 6: Topics About the Shoulder CME 4: October, November, December 2004 [Supplementary Material] Letters to the Editor: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Letters to the Editor are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Rights and Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sperling, J. W. Articles by Schleck, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sperling, J. W. Articles by Schleck, C. Related Collections Sports Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients Fifty Years of Age and Younger

¹ Departments of Orthopedic Surgery (J.W.S. and R.H.C.) and Biostatistics (C.S.), Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street S.W., Rochester, MN 55905. E-mail address for J.W. Sperling: sperling.john{at}mayo.edu

Investigation performed at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The authors did not receive grants or outside funding in support of their research or preparation of this manuscript. They did not receive payments or other benefits or a commitment or agreement to provide such benefits from a commercial entity. No commercial entity paid or directed, or agreed to pay or direct, any benefits to any research fund, foundation, educational institution, or other charitable or nonprofit organization with which the authors are affiliated or associated.

Methods: Thirty-two patients (thirty-six shoulders) who were fifty years of age or younger underwent repair of a full-thickness rotator cuff tear between 1976 and 1987. Seven patients (seven shoulders) died after less than thirteen years of follow-up. The remaining twenty-nine shoulders, which had been followed for a minimum of thirteen years or until revision surgery, were included in the analysis. The most recent follow-up was performed in the clinic for five shoulders and by means of a questionnaire for twenty-four shoulders.

Results: There were three small, fifteen medium, six large, and five massive tears. Rotator cuff repair was associated with significant long-term pain relief (p = 0.0001). However, there was no significant long-term improvement in active abduction or external rotation. Postoperative pain, active abduction, and external rotation did not vary significantly according to gender, tear size, repair type, or whether a distal clavicular excision had been performed. There were eleven excellent, five satisfactory, and thirteen unsatisfactory results. Seven shoulders had additional surgery for the treatment of a recurrent tear (five), instability (one), or osteoarthritis (one). Three of the five repairs that were done for the treatment of a recurrent tear were performed ten years or more after the time of the index procedure.

Conclusions: Rotator cuff repair in young patients is associated with long-term pain relief. However, this procedure is not associated with significant long-term improvement in motion, and a large proportion of patients have an unsatisfactory long-term result. The results of rotator cuff repair in young patients appear to be less favorable than those in a mixed-age population.

Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series [no, or historical, control group]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Facebook    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. P. Burns, S. J. Snyder, and M. Albritton Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Using Triple-Loaded Anchors, Suture Shuttles, and Suture Savers J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg., July 1, 2007; 15(7): 432 - 444. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. R. Wolf, W. R. Dunn, and R. W. Wright Indications for Repair of Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears Am. J. Sports Med., June 1, 2007; 35(6): 1007 - 1016. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Fuchs, M. K. Gilbart, J. Hodler, and C. Gerber Clinical and Structural Results of Open Repair of an Isolated One-Tendon Tear of the Rotator Cuff J. Bone Joint Surg. Am., February 1, 2006; 88(2): 309 - 316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press (TM) assists in the publication of JBJS Online.
Copyright © 2004 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. Online ISSN: 1535-1386.
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery®, JBJS®, JB&JS®, and eJBJS® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.