Comparison of arthroscopic single-row and double-row repair in the treatment of rotator cuff tears

Abstract

Background: Single-row (SR) and double-row (DR) techniques are 2 kinds of widely used approaches for the arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff. This retrospective clinical trial was performed to address the question of whether a DR rotator cuff anchor repair gives results superior to a SR anchor repair in clinical outcome scores and complication rates. Methods: This study was performed and reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology checklist. We retrospectively reviewed our database, which was collected prospectively. From 2014 to 2017, 264 patients underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair by an experienced single shoulder surgeon with the SR and DR techniques. This study was approved by the institutional review board in our hospital and was registered in the Research Registry. Outcome measures included Constant-Murley score, muscle strength, patient satisfaction, passive range of motion, and retear rates. Results: The hypothesis was that the DR technique would achieve better functional scores and fewer complications as compared to the SR technique in treatment of rotator cuff tears.

Single Medial-Row Anchor With Biceps Tenodesis in a Transosseous Double-Row Construct for Massive Rotator Cuff Tear

“…The double-row, transosseous-equivalent construct has shown improved biomechanical strength over that of the single-row repair, 4 but the double-row repair has added cost of more anchors, increases operating room time, and is more technically demanding. 5 Recent systematic reviews and metanalysis of biomechanical literature have shown that factors positively influencing the strength of a repair are the number of sutures used in a repair, use of larger diameter sutures, and use of mattress stitches. 7 We believe the aforementioned technique addresses some of the shortcomings of the double-row repair while incorporating all 3 components found in this review to positively influence the strength of the repair.…”

“…In addition, as the tear size grows, surgeons are more likely to use more implants to address the tear, which leads to increased costs. 5 In this Technical Note, we describe a technique for repair of a massive rotator cuff tear using a transosseous equivalent, double-row construct with a single medial-row anchor, 5 free FiberTape sutures, and 2 preloaded FiberWire sutures.…”