The Results of Repair of Massive Tears of the Rotator Cuff*†

Abstract

The method of repair of massive rotator cuff tears that was used in this study yielded a comparatively low retear rate and good-to-excellent clinical results; however, the repair did not result in substantial reversal of muscular atrophy and fatty degeneration. Retears occurred more often in patients who had had a shorter interval between the onset of the symptoms and the operation (p < 0.05). Patients who had a retear had improvement of the shoulder compared with the preoperative state, but they had less improvement than did those who had a successful repair.