All-arthroscopic supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscle advancement leads to high healing rate and excellent outcomes in patients with massive, retracted rotator cuff tears, even in patients with pseudoparalysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of an all-arthroscopic rotator cuff repair technique involving muscle advancement and double-layer lasso loop (DLLL) repair for massive, retracted posterosuperior cuff tears.

METHODS: This is a retrospective case series of patients with massive, retracted posterosuperior cuff tears who underwent the all-arthroscopic muscle advancement technique from March 2017 to September 2021, with minimum follow-up of 12 months. Key steps included suprascapular nerve release, advancement of supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles, and DLLL repair. Preoperative and postoperative visual analogue scale for pain, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Constant score, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score, active range of motion (ROM), and strength were compared. Preoperative and postoperative structural radiological characteristics were analysed.

RESULTS: Forty-three shoulders in 38 patients were evaluated with mean follow-up of 18.8 months (range 12-55 months). Of the 43 shoulders, 4 repairs failed (9.3% retear rate). VAS, ASES, Constant, and UCLA scores significantly improved (p<0.001) in patients who demonstrated healing on postoperative MRI (n=39). ASES, Constant, and UCLA scores were significantly better in the healed group, with 100% exceeding MCIDs for ASES and UCLA scores, and 84.2% for Constant score. A lower proportion of patients in the retear group achieved MCIDs. Active ROM in all planes significantly improved for those who had healed repairs. (p<0.001). Relative strengths of abduction, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus were at least 90% of the contralateral side. Recovery rate of pseudoparalysis (7 patients) was 100%.

CONCLUSION: All-arthroscopic muscle advancement, coupled with double-layer lasso loop repair, leads to a high healing rate with excellent clinical outcomes and recovery of strength to at least 90%, even in patients with pseudoparalysis.