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Poly-L-lactic acid bioabsorbable patch successful in repair of rotator cuff tears
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Patients with large-to-massive rotator cuff tears experienced successful repair after surgery when a poly-L-lactic acid bioabsorbable patch was used, according to study results.
Using a poly-L-lactic acid synthetic patch as a reinforcement device and fixation with four sutures, researchers performed arthroscopic repair on 18 patients with large-to-massive rotator cuff tears. The researchers assessed patients preoperatively and again at 6 months, 12 months and a mean of 42 months postoperatively using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) shoulder score to evaluate clinical performance. They also used ultrasound at 12 months to assess structural repair.
According to study results, ultrasound at 12 months showed that 15 of 18 patients had intact rotator cuff repairs. However, an additional patient had failed repair at 42 months.
The researchers found an improvement in ASES shoulder score from 25 preoperatively to 71 at 12 months and to 70 at 42 months after surgery. ASES shoulder score was 82 among patients who had intact rotator cuff at 42 months, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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