Clinical Outcome of Partial Repair of Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

Objective To evaluate the functional outcome of patients who underwent partial arthroscopic repair of massive rotator cuff tears. Methods Retrospective case series evaluating patients with massive rotator cuff tears who underwent partial arthroscopic repair. The primary outcome was the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) at 24 months. The secondary outcomes were the Modified-University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Rating Scale (UCLA), and the following subdomains: satisfaction, active forward flexion and strength of forward flexion subdomains. Results We evaluated 33 patients. The ASES scale evolved from 39.7 ± 19.6 to 77.6 ± 17.4 ( p < 0.001). The UCLA scale evolved from 13.3 ± 5.5 to 27.9 ± 5.6 ( p < 0.001). The satisfaction rate was 97%. The number of patients with active forward flexion > 150° increased from 12 (36.4%) to 25 (75.8%) ( p = 0.002). The number of patients with normal or good strength of forward flexion increased from 9 (27.3%) to 22 (66.7%) (p = 0.015). Conclusion Partial repair of irreparable rotator cuff tears leads to significant improvement according to the ASES and UCLA scales.