Clinical midterm results of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in patients older than 75 years
These authors evaluated the clinical midterm results after attempted cuff repair in 22 of 30 patients who were 75 years or older at the time of surgery and who had a degenerative full thickness rotator cuff tear at a mean of 7years after surgery. Only 17 of 30 patients were able to return for in person evaluation.
Patient satisfaction was excellent, Neither any complication nor revision surgery occurred during the study period.
At final follow-up, the mean WORC index was 88% 15%. The mean SSV was comparable between the affected shoulder (90% 15%) and the contralateral side.
The mean SST score was 10 points and the mean ASES score was 89 points.
Comment: While these results may seem encouraging, this report lacks (1) data on the preoperative status (range of motion, patient-reported measures (WORC, SSV, SST)) and (2) followup imaging to determine cuff integrity.
None of the case examples provided showed superior displacement of the humeral head in relation to the glenoid.
So we do not know either how much the patients were improved or whether the "repair" of these chronic degenerative tears remained intact.
