title: Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: Current Concepts.
abstract: Partial thickness rotator cuff tears are a common cause of pain in the adult shoulder. Despite their high prevalence, the diagnosis and treatment of partial thickness rotator cuff tears remains controversial. While recent studies have helped to elucidate the anatomy and natural history of disease progression, the optimal treatment, both nonoperative and operative, is unclear. Although the advent of arthroscopy has improved the accuracy of the diagnosis of partial thickness rotator cuff tears, the number of surgical techniques used to repair these tears has also increased. While multiple repair techniques have been described, there is currently no significant clinical evidence supporting more complex surgical techniques over standard rotator cuff repair. Further research is required to determine the clinical indications for surgical and nonsurgical management, when formal rotator cuff repair is specifically indicated and when biologic adjunctive therapy may be utilized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: Graeme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matthewson
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: Cara J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: Atiba A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: Jarret M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Woodmass
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6 ; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Boorman
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: Ian K Y
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4Z6 ; Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 1M9.
authors.forename: Gail M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Thornton