ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2021
Partial and complete repairs of massive rotator cuff tears maintain similar long-term improvements in clinical scores.
Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Incidence and risk factors of pseudoparesis in massive rotator cuff tears: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Revision rates and progression to shoulder arthroplasty after arthroscopic repair of massive rotator cuff tears.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Pooled it
- Superior capsule reconstruction, partial cuff repair, graft interposition, arthroscopic debridement or balloon spacers for large and massive irreparable rotator cuff tears: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2022Pooled it
- Reliable diagnosis of posterosuperior rotator cuff tears requires a combination of clinical tests.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2021Pooled it
- Outcomes of partial vs. complete repair for large to massive rotator cuff tears: a systematic review and meta-analysis.JSES reviews, reports, and techniques · 2026Review
- Outcomes of Isolated Biceps Tenodesis/Tenotomy or Partial Rotator Cuff Repair Associated with Biceps Tenodesis/Tenotomy for Massive Irreparable Tears: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Treatment Options for Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe authors have previously published early outcomes of arthroscopic repairs of 86 massive rotator cuff tears (mRCTs) and aimed to determine whether their clinical scores are maintained or deteriorate after 5 more years.
methodsOf the initial series of 86 shoulders, 2 had deceased, 16 lost to follow-up and 4 reoperated, leaving 64 for assessment. The repairs were complete in 44 and partial in 20, and 17 shoulders had pseudoparalysis. Preoperative assessment included absolute Constant score, shoulder strength, tear pattern, tendon retraction, and fatty infiltration. Patients were evaluated at 8.1 ± 0.6 years (range 7.1-9.3) using absolute and age-/sex-adjusted Constant score, subjective shoulder value (SSV), and simple shoulder test (SST).
resultsAbsolute Constant score was 80.0 ± 11.7 at first follow-up (at 2-5 years) but diminished to 76.7 ± 10.2 at second follow-up (at 7-10 years) (p < 0.001). Adjusted Constant score was 99.7 ± 15.9 at first follow-up and remained 98.8 ± 15.9 at second follow-up (ns). Comparing other outcomes revealed a decrease in strength over time (p < 0.001) but no change in pain, SSV or SST. Partially-repaired shoulders had lower strength at both follow-ups (p < 0.05). Pseudoparalytic shoulders had lower absolute and adjusted Constant score at second follow-up (p < 0.05), but their net improvements in absolute Constant score were higher (p = 0.014).
conclusionsBoth partial and complete arthroscopic repairs grant satisfactory long-term outcomes for patients with mRCTs, regardless of their tear pattern, fatty infiltration and presence of pseudoparalysis. Absolute Constant score decreased over time for both repair types, but adjusted Constant score remained stable, suggesting that decline is due to aging rather than tissue degeneration. The clinical relevance of this study is that arthroscopic repair should be considered for mRCTs, even if not completely repairable, rather than more invasive and/or risky treatments, such as reverse shoulder arthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
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