title: Open Rotator Cuff Tear Repair Using Deltopectoral Approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcome of the open repair of rotator cuff tears via the deltopectoral approach in patients unable to afford arthroscopic repair costs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 80 consecutive patients who were treated for full-thickness rotator cuff tears by open repair through the deltopectoral approach. There were 48 men and 32 women at a mean age of 60.1 years (range, 35-80 years). Preoperative and postoperative clinical assessments were performed with the Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, modified University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score, and pain visual analog scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up period was 30.6 months (range, 18-48 months). At final follow-up visits, the ASES, Constant score, and modified UCLA score were found to have improved significantly from 33.56, 39.24, and 13.0 to 85.64, 81.46, and 32.2, respectively (P <0.01). Pain, as measured on a visual analog scale, was improved significantly (P <0.01). The mean time for recovering the full range of motion was 2.5 months. Postoperative pain at 48 hours and at 6 weeks was relatively low. There were no cases of intractable stiffness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The deltopectoral approach for open rotator cuff repair produced satisfactory results and reduces rate of shoulder stiffness and postoperative pain.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Guity
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir Sobhani
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Eraghi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057645:Deltoid Muscle / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000601:surgery; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000601:surgery; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Deltopectoral; Rotator Cuff Tear; arthroscopic