title: Arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears using absorbable anchors with a single-row technique.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review outcomes of arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears using absorbable anchors with a single-row technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  66 patients underwent arthroscopic repair for rotator cuff tears using absorbable anchors with a single-row technique. 51 of them aged 37 to 73 (mean, 57) years had been followed up for a mean of 29 (range, 20-37) months. The extent of the tear was classified as large, medium or small. Functional outcome was assessed using the Constant score. Constant scores and re-tear rates in 3 patient groups (classified by patient age and tear size) were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 66 patients, there were 24 large, 29 medium and 13 small cuff tears, and a total of 48, 37, and 18 anchors were used, respectively. Among the 51 patients, the median Constant score improved significantly after arthroscopy (30 vs. 73, p<0.0001). Six shoulders had complete re-tears; their median Constant score was 48 and their adjusted Constant score was 65%. Complete re-tears occurred more often in patients aged >60 years than in those aged 50 to 59 years and <50 years (4/15 vs. 1/22 vs. 1/14), and more often in patients with large tears than in those with medium and small tears (4/24 vs. 2/29 vs. 0/13).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears using absorbable anchors with a single-row technique is reliable in patients aged <60 years with small or medium tears.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic and trauma surgery, Pellegrini Hospital, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cautiero
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giudice
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciccarelli
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Visconti
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001182:Arthroscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D053441:Suture Anchors; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D053656:Tenodesis / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome