Alterations of the Deltoid Muscle After Open Versus Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

No difference in outcome for open versus arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a prospective comparative trial

“…We did not identify clinical deltoid impairment despite the detachment of its proximal origin [23]. This finding confirmed the study of Cho et al [24] who explored with MRI postoperative thickness of the deltoid after open and arthroscopic surgery and did not find out any difference between both techniques.…”

Previous Rotator Cuff Repair is Associated with Inferior Clinical Outcomes after Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

“…Deltoid pressure during arthroscopic surgery is high but returns to normal within 30 minutes after cessation of saline inflow, 9 and Longo et al 10 reported no change in deltoid thickness at a minimum of 1 year after arthroscopic shoulder surgery. However, low rates of partial deltoid detachment (*2%) and deltoid atrophy (*5%) have been reported after arthroscopic and open RCR, 3 which could perhaps in large enough cohorts result in mild deleterious effects on the overall average outcome scores. This is important, as both preoperative and postoperative atrophy or fatty infiltration of the deltoid have been correlated with functional outcome scores after RTSA.…”

Effects of Electrical Muscle Stimulation for Preventing Deltoid Muscle Atrophy after Rotator Cuff Repair: Preliminary Results of a Prospective, Randomized, Single-blind Trial

“…Subsequent to rotator cuff repair, it is common to immobilize the shoulder for 6 weeks with an abduction brace, and commence muscle strengthening at 12 weeks. We deliberated that this rehabilitation protocol is likely to cause atrophy of the muscles around the shoulders, as has been indicated in few studies on deltoid atrophy after rotator cuff repair: Cho et al 7) reported a 7.3% decrease in the thickness of the anterior deltoid after open rotator cuff repair; Hata et al 8) reported that mean thickness of the anterior deltoid decreases by 11.4% (18.4 to 16.3 mm) at 6 months and 15.2% (18.4 to 15.6 mm) at 12 months postoperatively, and is significantly smaller than it was prior to surgery (p<0.05). In the present study, the mean thickness of the anterior deltoid decreased by 2.5% in the NMES group and by 14.0% in the TENS group at the level just below the coracoid, which was significantly different.…”

“…2) The most common complications are retear and stiffness, and several studies have also focused on atrophy of the shoulder muscles. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Atrophy of the deltoid muscle, especially that of its anterior fibers, makes shoulder flexion difficult since no other muscle can effectively compensate for its functional loss. 9) A previous study reported postoperative decrease in the thickness of the deltoid, with no recovery 1 year later.…”

“…9) A previous study reported postoperative decrease in the thickness of the deltoid, with no recovery 1 year later. 7,8) However, there is no report on the prevention of deltoid atrophy. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) elicits skeletal muscle contractions through percutaneous electrodes that de-polarize underlying motor nerves.…”