Background

Recently, among the various method for irreparable rotator cuff tears, the "tension-free allodermis graft technique" has been introduced as

Method

for arthroscopic biologic tuberoplasty(ABT) and bursal acromial reconstruction(BAR).The objective was to analyze the outcomes of ABT and BAR combination surgical technique.

Methods

Eighteen cases who underwent simultaneous ABT and BAR procedures were retrospectively recruited. Before the surgery and at one year post-surgery, the researchers assessed the patients' Visual Analog Scale(VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons(ASES) scores, pain scores, range of motion(ROM), retear, and acromiohumeral distance (AHD).

Results

One year post-surgery, both the VAS pain scores, ASES scores, and ROM showed statistically significant improvement compared to before the surgery. Upon reviewing the radiological results, the AHD significantly improved from 4.3 ± 4.1 mm before surgery to 9.2 ± 1.9 mm at one year post-surgery (p<0.001). Moreover, in the one year follow-up, there was no observed failure of the allodermis graft in any of the cases

Conclusion

The combination of ABT and BAR demonstrated significantly improved clinical outcomes after surgery, showing a substantial increase in AHD and preventing graft failure effectively.