Background
Rotator cuff tears are very common in the general population. Different modalities of repair are well established. We describe two surgical techniques for repair, arthroscopic versus mini-open techniques.
Patients and methods
This prospective study included 20 patients with complete rotator cuff tear (small to large size) with grade A or B retraction with no or little fatty infiltration of cuff muscles. Patients were divided into two groups, each group included 10 patients: one group was treated by arthroscopic repair by anchors and the other group was treated by mini-open repair by anchors.
Results
For group A treated by arthroscopic repair over the period of follow-up, the mean Constant and Murley score was 82.1 ± 4.8 (76–90), and all the patients were satisfied. For group B treated by mini-open repair over the period of follow-up, the mean Constant and Murley score was 79.8 ± 7.2 (66–90), and eight patients out of 10 were satisfied. There was no statistically significant difference between both groups ( value 0.4). MRI showed satisfactory tendon healing 6 months postoperatively. Postoperative stiffness occurred in one patient undergoing mini-open repair mainly owing to poor compliance with the rehabilitation program.
Conclusion
Arthroscopic technique and mini-open technique are viable options for repair of rotator cuff tears in our study, with no significant variations noticed between them, although better results in arthroscopic group.