Rotator cuff augmentation

Due to the high rate of rotator cuff re-tear there is an extensive research on augmentation of rotator cuff repairs. The purpose of this single center, prospective study was to evaluate the results of augmentation of the rotator cuff repair with an umbilical cord allograft. The graft group in which the rotator cuff repair was augmented with the graft as an on-lay patch was consisted of 14 patients, while the control group was consisted of 10 patients. The primary outcome of the study was incidence of rotator cuff retears, while secondary outcomes included functional and pain scores...

An important domain of artificial intelligence is deep learning, which comprises computed vision tasks used for recognizing complex patterns in orthopaedic imaging, thus automating the identification of pathology. Purported benefits include an expedited clinical workflow; improved performance and consistency in diagnostic tasks; decreased time allocation burden; augmentation of diagnostic performance, decreased inter-reader discrepancies in measurements and diagnosis as a function of reducing subjectivity in the setting of differences in imaging quality, resolution, penetrance, or orientation; and the ability to function autonomously without rest (unlike human observers)...

Chronic retracted rotator cuff tears are difficult entities to treat. L-shaped tears are a particular subset of such rotator cuff tears that pose challenges for surgeons attempting to reduce the supraspinatus tendon back to the greater tuberosity. Lack of full coverage of the tuberosity, need for medialization of the tendon, undue tension, and incomplete reconstitution of the rotator cable are some of the reasons L-shaped retracted tears of the supraspinatus can be challenging. Anterior cable reconstruction (ACR) is a technique that has gained increasing recent popularity, as is the use of patch augmentation...

There is a growing need for nonarthroplasty treatment options for irreparable rotator cuff tears. Options include superior capsular reconstruction (SCR), tendon transfers, subacromial balloon spacer, bridge grafting, biological tuberoplasty, and partial rotator cuff repair with or without augmentation. In our experience, repair with marginal convergence techniques is superior to SCR; if there is enough tissue, repair is the preferred strategy. In an effort to improve outcomes after repair, there has been increased interest in the use of interposition or bridging graft (BG) techniques, in which an allograft or autograft is secured on the humerus laterally and to the remnant tendon medially...

The subacromial balloon spacer was originally designed to treat massive irreparable rotator cuff tears in patients with pain but preserved function, and favorable results have been reported. However, surgeons have expanded its application to include use as an adjunct for salvage procedures such as superior capsular reconstruction and tendon transfer, as a delivery device for steroids or biologics, and as an augmentation in the setting of primary or revision rotator cuff tear. When adapting technology to new techniques, one must ask, What is the basis by which we can expect success? In rotator cuff repair, the technology of anchor, suture, and repair configurations is such that mechanical failure is rare...

BACKGROUND: Massive irreparable rotator cuff tears (MIRCTs) remain a challenging treatment paradigm, particularly for nonelderly patients without pseudoparalysis or arthritis. PURPOSE: To use a network meta-analysis to analyze comparative studies of surgical treatment options for MIRCTs in patients <70 years of age for several patient-reported outcomes, range of motion (ROM), and acromiohumeral distance (AHD). STUDY DESIGN: Network meta-analysis of comparative studies; Level of evidence, 3...

A rotator cuff tear is a prevalent ailment affecting the shoulder joint. The clinical efficacy of combined therapy remains uncertain for partial rotator cuff tears. In this study, we integrated extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, juxtaposed with PRP in isolation. Both cohorts exhibited significant improvements in visual analogue scale (VAS), Constant-Murley score (CMS), degrees of forward flexion, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation, and the sum of range of motion (SROM) over the six-month assessment period...

Rotator cuff repair has a substantial failure rate despite various attempts to improve outcome and prevent a retear. Patch augmentation is an intuitively appealing approach to seek to reduce failure rate and improve outcomes for patients. Two main augmentation approaches are used: "on-lay" and "bridging." The literature is heterogeneous, and the best approach is uncertain. The evidence on patch augmentation for rotator cuff repair is both disparate and weak. Large randomized trials and registry data are required to move the field, ensure patient safety, and avoid wasting precious resources...

To improve healing after rotator cuff repair, synthetic, allograft, and dermal xenograft patches have been shown to significantly improve strength and load. Recent research has shown that a bio-inductive bovine collagen implant results in improvement in healing in partial-thickness, small, medium, and even large tears, but thus far, repair of massive and revision tears with augmentation is no better than repair alone. Optimizing these challenging repairs remains difficult and elusive.

Despite a high retear rate, repair of large rotator cuff tendon tear repairs shows good clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, these results often deteriorate with time, and large tears, not to mention progressively symptomatic retears, especially in compromised rotator cuff tissue, remain a problem. The solution could include augmenting repair with a patch such as an acellular collagen matrix. Proper patient selection is needed to achieve a benefit justifying the added expense and operative time associated with adding a patch...

Rates of rotator cuff repair retear remain unacceptably high and are frequently the source of diminished shoulder function and patient dissatisfaction. Endocrinopathies have been implicated in these processes. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) activates chondrogenesis and angiogenesis at the enthesis and prevents fatty infiltration and atrophy in rotator cuff musculature. These facts have spurred interest in the therapeutic benefits of PTH as a means to enhance tendon healing and strengthen the bone in and around tendon repairs...

Understanding the preoperative risk factors for successful rotator cuff repair (RCR) and ways to optimize these factors is an evolving area of study. The Rotator Cuff Healing Index and other proxy risk factors for failed rotator cuff healing have implicated significant fatty infiltration, muscular atrophy, advanced chronological age, tear size and retraction, and ultimately, osteoporosis. Although structural (or biological) augmentation and tendon transfer have been proposed as solutions for the alarmingly high rate of failure after primary RCR, other options may preferentially focus on the enthesis and underlying osseous footprint...

BACKGROUND: There remain arguments regarding whether fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles improves following rotator cuff repair. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate changes in fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles, quantitatively measured on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with use of transverse relaxation time (T2) mapping techniques, and to assess the relationship between these changes and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Patients were included if they were scheduled for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using the suture-bridge technique between June 2014 and December 2015, underwent preoperative MRI including the T2 mapping sequence, and consented to participate in the study...

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair has been shown promising clinical outcomes. However, large to massive rotator cuff tears are difficult to completely repair with appropriate tension because of their size or poor tissue quality. An incomplete repair using the "hybrid technique" is one of way to solve this problem by maximizing the contact area between the tendon and the footprint of greater tuberosity. Additionally, the acellular dermal matrix patch augmentation has emerged as an adjuvant technique to enhance the biomechanical properties to promote healing of the repaired construct...

Revision repair of retorn partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion (PASTA) lesion is difficult for poor tendon quality without tear completion and repair. Trans-tendon suture bridge repair with biceps tendon augmentation can preserve the intact bursal side cuff attachment and has shown satisfactory clinical outcomes. Moreover, trans-tendon suture bridge rotator cuff repair technique, along with biceps tendon augmentation, reinforces high-grade PASTA lesions by moving the tenotomized biceps tendon into the torn articular side cuff defect with added advantage of blood supply through the tenotomized biceps tendon graft...

PURPOSE: To determine if the addition of a bioinductive collagen implant (BCI) over a transosseous equivalent (TOE) repair of medium-to-large posterosuperior rotator cuff tears improves the healing rate determined by MRI at 12-month follow-up. METHODS: A level-1 randomized controlled trial was performed in 124 subjects with isolated symptomatic reparable full-thickness medium-to-large posterosuperior non-acute rotator cuff tears, with fatty infiltration ≤2...

Although many surgeons discard the long head of the biceps (LHB) tendon during arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs, several authors have argued that the LHB tendon may serve as a biologic and structural augment for massive repairs. There are multiple benefits of incorporating the LHB tendon autograft in difficult-to-repair massive rotator cuff tears. First, by maintaining the glenoid origin, the tendon likely retains a significant native blood supply, as well as tenocytes, which may support the healing process...

BACKGROUND: One method to augment rotator cuff repair is to pass dermal allograft pledgets along the sutures that bridge from the medial to the lateral row. It remains unclear whether this augmentation method alters repair biomechanics. METHODS: This was a controlled laboratory study. After an a priori power analysis, nine pairs of rotator cuffs underwent double row suture bridge rotator cuff repair, half randomized to augmentation with dermal allograft pledgets passed along the suture bridge sutures...

Failed rotator cuff repairs pose several challenges due to the high incidence rate, complexity, and range of symptoms. We propose an overview for assessing and treating failed rotator cuff repairs. For active young patients, attempt revision repair with patch augmentation if possible. When anatomic revision is not viable, but muscle is retained, consider partial repair with interposition bridging. Isolated, irreparable supraspinatus tears may benefit from superior capsule reconstruction. Tendon transfer is suitable for patients with significant atrophy and multiple irreparable cuff tears...

Rotator cuff tears are a common source of pain and impairment in the shoulder. Healing of the rotator cuff tendons following repair has been associated with improved patient outcomes. While there have been many technical improvements in surgical techniques for rotator cuff repair, failure rates are still surprisingly high. Augmentation of these repairs has been shown to help with fixation biomechanics as well as healing rates. The described types of augments include autograft, allograft, xenograft, and synthetic options...