title: Deep partial rotator cuff tear: transtendon repair or tear completion and repair? A randomized clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical and subjective difference between transtendon repair or complete/repair in two homogeneous groups of patients affected by deep partial articular supraspinatus tear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-four patients were randomized in two groups of 37 patients each. The first group (A) was treated with arthroscopic transtendon repair while the second group (B) was treated with an arthroscopic completion of the tear and formal repair. All the patients were revaluated at a minimum 2 years of follow-up with Constant score and Visual Analogic Scale (VAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Constant score improved by a mean value of 25 (95 % CI 21-28) (p < 0.0001) and of 29 (95 % CI 26-31) (p < 0.0001), respectively; VAS score decreased by a mean value of 3.4 (95 % CI 2.9-3.9) (p < 0.0001) and of 3.6 (95 % CI 3.3-4.0) (p < 0.0001), respectively. The improvement was higher in both groups for the ADL, and in Group B, the improvement in strength was higher than in Group A. There were no statistical differences between the two different techniques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both repairing techniques of deep partial supraspinatus tear provide good results in terms of function and pain. There were no statistically significant differences between the two techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective comparative study, Level II.
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borroni
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: Giacomo Delle
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cesari
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Padua
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gumina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000601:surgery*; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012421:Rupture / Q000601:surgery; D053441:Suture Anchors; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult