Long-term functional and structural outcome in patients with intact repairs 1 year after open transosseous rotator cuff repair.

HYPOTHESIS: Tendon-to-bone suture and a fatty degeneration index (FDI)

Total shoulder arthroplasty using the superior approach: influence on glenoid loosening and superior migration in the long-term follow-up after Neer II prosthesis installation.

Glenoid component loosening and superior humeral translation are common after Neer II total shoulder arthroplasty using the anterior approach. To determine whether the superior approach reduced these complications, we retrospectively reviewed 20 shoulders in 16 patients. Both components were cemented. Patient satisfaction, unweighted Constant score, and imaging studies were evaluated at a mean of 3.5 years and at a mean of 11.1 years. Fourteen patients were satisfied or very satisfied. The mean unweighted Constant score improved from 25/100 preoperatively to 57/100 after 3.5 years and to 51/100 after 11.1 years. Pain relief contrasted with low strength. Radiolucent lines appeared around 95% of glenoid components and 20% of humeral stems. Computed tomography showed severe glenoid osteolysis in 3 of 13 shoulders. Humeral superior translation did not occur. This study confirms the glenoid component fixation issue. The superior approach may reduce the risk of humeral superior translation and radiologic glenoid component loosening.

Influence of cuff muscle fatty degeneration on anatomic and functional outcomes after simple suture of full-thickness tears.

Two hundred twenty shoulders with a rotator cuff tear repaired by simple tendon-to-bone suture were analyzed to determine whether the severity of presurgical fatty degeneration had an influence on their anatomic and functional outcome. Fatty degeneration was evaluated for each muscle with the 5-stage grading system developed by Goutallier et al. A global fatty degeneration index (GFDI), the mean value of the 3 muscles, was calculated for each shoulder. Cuff integrity was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (116 cases) or computed arthrotomography scan (104 cases) at a mean 37 months' follow-up, and functional outcomes were evaluated with the Constant score. A recurrent tear was found in 79 cases (36%) and was more frequently encountered in posterosuperior tears. The likelihood of a recurrent tear was greater for tendons whose muscle showed fatty degeneration greater than grade 1. Fatty degeneration of the infraspinatus or subscapularis muscles had an influence on supraspinatus tendon outcome. A GFDI lower than 0.5 was necessary to yield less than 25% retears. The mean global Constant score was 75 at revision, significantly lower when a retear was present (70.5 versus 77.5). In the subgroup of watertight cuffs, it was lower when GFDI was higher. Fatty degeneration is an important prognostic factor in rotator cuff surgery.

Shoulder surgery: from cuff repair to joint replacement. An update.

REPAIRING FULL THICKNESS CUFF TEARS.--Despite the sound rationale for repairing full-thickness rotator cuff tears, the procedure may fail to restore cuff integrity, which is indispensable to optimal cuff function. The functional role of each cuff muscle and the factors associated with anatomic failure (particularly those related to the muscles and tendons) provide a basis for rational patient selection and for determination of the best surgical strategy on a case-by-case basis. SHOULDER ARTHROPLASTY IN PATIENTS WITH GLENOHUMERAL JOINT DISEASE.--Total shoulder arthroplasty in patients with glenohumeral joint disease provides better outcomes than humeral hemiarthroplasty. The choice between a semi-constrained total prosthesis and a reverse constrained total prosthesis should be based on the nature of the joint disease (either centered humeral head or normal cuff function or migrated humeral head and abnormal cuff function). At present, only the semi-constrained total prosthesis has been proved effective in the long-term when used in a patient with a centered humeral head and active cuff. This provides additional support for repairing cuff tears whenever possible in patients who are still young.