title: Autologous tenocyte implantation, a novel treatment for partial-thickness rotator cuff tear and tendinopathy in an elite athlete.
abstract: Tendinopathy and small partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff tendon are common presentations in sports medicine. No promising treatment has yet been established. Corticosteroid injections may improve symptoms in the short term but do not primarily treat the tendon pathology. Ultrasound-guided autologous tenocyte implantation (ATI) is a novel bioengineered treatment approach for treating tendinopathy. We report the first clinical case of ATI in a 20-year-old elite gymnast with a rotator cuff tendon injury. The patient presented with 12 months of increasing pain during gymnastics being unable to perform most skills. At 1 year after ATI the patient reported substantial improvement of clinical symptoms. Pretreatment and follow-up MRIs were reported and scored independently by two experienced musculoskeletal radiologists. Tendinopathy was improved and the partial-thickness tear healed on 3 T MRI. The patient was able to return to national-level competition.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
authors: Allan W
authors: AW
authors: Wang
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Bauer
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Goonatillake
authors: William
authors: W
authors: Breidahl
authors: Ming-Hao
authors: MH
authors: Zheng
mesh_terms: D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D013710:Tendons / Q000166:cytology*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D055815:Young Adult