A Modified Mac Suture Bridge Technique: Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of the Treatment of Rotator Cuff Tear with Poor Tissue Quality

Abstract

Purpose: Base on the concept of the Mac stitch, we designed the modified Mac-suture bridge technique to improve the outcome of arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tear with poor tissue quality. Moreover, we evaluated both the radiological and clinical outcomes of the surgery to assess the effectiveness of the newly designed technique. Materials and Methods: From January 2010 to December 2014, a total of 52 patients (25 males, 27 females) with rotator cuff tear, with poor tissue quality according to both radiological and intraoperative findings, who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using the modified Mac-suture bridge technique and followed-up for at least 1 year were included in this study. The mean patient age at the time of surgery was 60 years. The average follow-up period was 20 months. We evaluated the clinical outcomes by checking the range of motion and compared the following, both preoperatively and postoperatively: American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon (ASES) score, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score, Constant shoulder score (CSS), visual analogue scale (VAS). In addition, we analyzed 42 series of postoperative magnetic resonance imaging by using the Sugaya's classification for the evaluation of the repair integrity. Results: All clinical scores showed significant improvement (ASES score improved from 56.75 to 83.44, UCLA score from 20.52 to 29.23, CSS from 64.04 to 80.90, and VAS from 6.17 to 1.62; p<0.001). The range of motion was also improved; forward flexion improved from 108° to 158°, abduction from 109° to 160°, external rotation from 27° to 50°, and internal rotation from 31° to 57° (p<0.001). Satisfactory radiologic results were noted on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging, consisting of 15 cases (35.7%) type I, 22 cases (52.4%) type II, 3 cases (7.1%) type III, 2 cases (4.8%) type IV, and no type V, according to the Sugaya's method. Conclusion:The modified Mac-suture bridge technique provided satisfactory results both radiologically and clinically for the treatment of rotator cuff tear with poor tendon tissue quality. It could possibly be a good alternative to previous techniques of arthroscopic repair.