[Treatment of massive rotator cuff tears with modified Chinese-way technique]

Objective: To explore clinical effect of modified Chinese-way technique under shoulder arthroscopy in treating massive rotator cuff tears.

Methods: From January 2019 to June 2022, 22 patients with massive rotator cuff tears who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with improved Chinese-way technique, including 10 males and 12 females, aged from 46 to 76 years old with an average of(64.14±7.45) years old;the courses of disease ranged from 5 to 14 months with an average of(8.32±2.42) months;19 patients were complete repaired, and 3 patients were partial repaired. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scale were used to evaluate pain and function of shoulder joint preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Postoperative complications, the integrity of reconstructed tissue structure and the size of subacromial space were observed.

Results: All patients were followed up from 12 to 34 months with an average of (17.14±5.93) months. Re-tear were occurred in 4 patients during MRI follow-up, but clinical symptoms of patients were improved significantly and they were satisfied with the treatment, the others were no complications such as incision infection, peripheral nerve injury, loosening and falling off of internal fixation anchors. Preoperative and 1 year after operation VAS were (8.05±1.12) and (1.82±1.50), UCLA scores were (7.45±1.65) and (31.41±2.87) respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The modified Chinese-way technique under shoulder arthroscopy for the massive rotator cuff tear could relieve pain obviously and recovery postoperative function well, with satisfactory curative effect.