Arthroscopic single-row supraspinatus tendon repair with a modified mattress locking stitch: a prospective, randomized controlled comparison with a simple stitch.
OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to compare the clinical results and failure rates of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair by use of a modified mattress locking stitch (MMLS) repair versus a simple stitch repair.


METHODS
Between December 2004 and January 2006, 78 cases of arthroscopically repaired full-thickness rotator cuff tears were evaluated prospectively. All tears were between 1.5 and 3 cm in size. The mean age of the patients was 53.4 years (range, 39 to 68 years), and the mean follow-up duration was 31.1 months (range, 24 to 37 months). Thirty-nine individuals underwent arthroscopic repair by use of an MMLS (group I). Thirty-nine individuals underwent arthroscopic repair by use of a simple stitch (group II). Postoperative visual analog scale scores for pain, scores for activities of daily living, and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) scores were obtained at a mean of 12 months (range, 6 to 36 months). We compared the results statistically by Mann-Whitney U test. In both groups magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained at 6 to 36 months after repair.


RESULTS
Between groups, the visual analog scale scores for pain, scores for activities of daily living, and University of California, Los Angeles scores were not significantly different (P > .05 for all). Of the patients, 92.3% in group I and 89.7% in group II showed excellent or good results at the final follow-up (P > .05). The satisfaction rate was 94.9% (37 cases) in group I and 89.7% (34 cases) in group II (P < .05). Radiographic failure was seen in 6 of 36 cases in group I (16.7%) and 9 of 30 cases in group II (27.4%) (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Arthroscopic repair of medium-sized (1.5- to 3-cm) full-thickness rotator cuff tears by use of an MMLS improves patient satisfaction rates and radiographic repair integrity in comparison to simple stitch repair.


METHODS
Level II, lesser-quality randomized controlled trial.
Ko
Sang-Hun
SH
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Ulsan, and College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, South Korea. shkoshko@hanmail.net
Lee
Chae-Chil
CC
Friedman
Darren
D
Park
Ki-Bong
KB
Warner
Jon J P
JJ