Similar results seen with single- versus double-row repair for rotator cuff tears

LAS VEGAS — The results of a new Level I study show no significant differences in clinical outcomes between single- and double-row repair for the treatment of medium to large rotator cuff tears.

In a prospective, randomized trial presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 76th Annual Meeting, Jae-Chul Yoo, MD, of Seoul, and colleagues studied 69 patients with 2 cm to 4 cm rotator cuff tears who were treated with either single-row or double-row repair. Thirty-six patients underwent single-row repair using a standard technique and 30 patients had double-row repair in which one additional medial suture anchor was added with two medial sutures. Sixty patients completed the minimum 2-year follow-up, and the investigators followed the patients for a mean of 24.3 months.

The investigators found that the groups had similar demographics and showed no significant differences regarding preoperative ASES, Constant, and visual analog scale scores (VAS) for pain and function. Postoperatively, the investigators discovered no statistical differences between the groups regarding the same four clinical outcome measures. The investigators found that surgical time was the only significant difference between the groups with the single-row repair lasting a mean of 115 minutes and double-row repair lasting a mean of 122.7 minutes.

“Adding an additional medial row anchor creating double row repair does not seem to improve clinical results in 2 to 4 cm sized rotator cuff tears at 2-year minimum follow-up,” Yoo said during his presentation.

For more information:
Yoo JC, Ahn JH, Koh KH, et al. Prospective randomized study of single versus double row repair in medium to large rotator cuff tear. Paper #460. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 76th Annual Meeting. Feb. 25-27, 2009. Las Vegas