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Traumatic Anterosuperior Rotator Cuff Tears: The Outcome of Open Surgical Repair

¹ Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2 Silverstein, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19131
² The Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021
³ University Orthopedics, Suite 200, 2 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905. E-mail address: agshoulder{at}aol.com
Investigation performed at the Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

Disclosure: The authors did not receive any outside funding or grants in support of their research for or preparation of this work. Neither they nor a member of their immediate families received payments or other benefits or a commitment or agreement to provide such benefits from a commercial entity. A commercial entity (Tornier, Inc., consultant) paid or directed in any one year, or agreed to pay or direct, benefits in excess of $10,000 to a research fund, foundation, division, center, clinical practice, or other charitable or nonprofit organization with which one or more of the authors, or a member of his or her immediate family, is affiliated or associated.

Methods: Thirty consecutive patients, with a mean age of fifty-seven years (range, forty-three to seventy-three years), had an open repair of a traumatic anterosuperior rotator cuff tear. Twenty-four patients (80%) were male. Sixteen patients (53%) had involvement of the dominant shoulder, twenty-three (77%) had a biceps tendon disorder, and sixteen (53%) had a positive lift-off maneuver prior to surgery. Surgical approaches included an isolated superior deltoid-splitting approach in twenty patients, an isolated deltopectoral approach in five patients, and a combined approach in five patients. Open repair was performed at a mean of 4.5 months after the injury or the onset of symptoms. The final outcomes were determined with a physical examination and patient self-assessed outcome tools.

Results: At a mean follow-up of fifty-six months, twenty-one of the thirty patients were satisfied with their symptoms, and twenty-nine would have the surgery again. The mean pain score on the visual analog scale improved from 6.2 to 1.2 (p < 0.001). The mean score on the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire improved from 41.7 to 12.2 (p < 0.001). The mean percentage of functions that patients were able to perform on the Simple Shoulder Test improved from 36.4% to 82.8% (p < 0.001). The mean age and sex-adjusted Constant score was 93.4 postoperatively. The mean elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation of the involved shoulders were 97%, 109%, and 97%, respectively, of those of the contralateral side. The mean strength of elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation were 85%, 93%, and 101%, respectively, of those of the contralateral side. Infraspinatus involvement (p = 0.04), the extent of the supraspinatus tear (p = 0.03), and a Workers' Compensation claim (p = 0.03) were associated with worse outcomes and decreased satisfaction.

Conclusions: Patients with a traumatic anterosuperior rotator cuff tear present with internal rotation weakness, and they usually have a biceps tendon disorder. While larger tears involving greater portions of the supraspinatus and extending into the infraspinatus are associated with poorer outcomes, early recognition of this injury and open repair can reliably restore shoulder function to near normal levels.

Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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