ABSTRACT
Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of debilitating pain, reduced shoulder function, and weakness. Despite improvements in the understanding of the disease process and advances in surgical treatment, recent studies have reported that healing of massive rotator cuff tears is not as predictable as that of smaller rotator cuff tears. These high failure rates are a result of both mechanical and biologic factors that may affect the patients' intrinsic capacity to heal. Most research studies have concentrated on tissue engineering as a means for improvement of healing in rotator cuff repair, including the use of scaffolds, growth factors, and mesenchymal stem cells. There has been much interest in the development of various scaffolds that provide adequate strength as well as stimulate and enhance healing potential. The purpose of this paper is to review the current basic science and clinical application of extracellular matrix scaffolds, which are currently the most widely used scaffolds for repair of rotator cuff tears.