Re discussion on arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tear in aged patients

Objective: To investigate the method and clinical effects of modified anchor insertion with single-row suture arthroscopic rotator cuff repair for aged patients with rotator cuff tear.

Methods: From March 2016 to February 2020, 96 aged patients with rotator cuff tears were retrospectively analyzed, including 29 males and 67 females, aged from 65 to 85 years, with a mean of (68.8±3.9) years. Patients were treated with modified anchor insertion with single-row suture arthroscopic rotator cuff repair technique. Before and after operation, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score were used to evaluate shoulder joint function, visual analogue scale (VAS)was used to evaluate patients' pain. Among them, 32 patients underwent magnetic resonance examination one year postoperatively.

Results: All operations were completed and the patients were followed up from 11 to 42 months, with a mean of (21.4±7.5) months. The UCLA score increased from preoperative 12.22±3.30 to final follow-up 31.30±2.49 (t=45.21, P<0.01);ASES score increased from preoperative 8.60±1.88 to final follow-up 12.60±0.84 (t=19.05, P<0.01);and the VAS decreased from preoperative 5.00 (2.00 to 8.00)scores to final follow-up 1.00 (0.00 to 3.00)scores (Z=-12.22, P<0.05). One year after operation, one of the 32 patients who underwent MRI showed that the repaired rotator cuff was torn again, but it did not affect the normal life and did not operate again. During the final follow-up, no anchor extraction was found in all 96 aged patients.

Conclusions: Modified anchor insertion with single-row suture arthroscopic rotator cuff repair technique for rotator cuff tear in aged patients could achieve satisfactory results and effectively reduce the anchor extraction rate.