Bone Marrow Stimulation in Arthroscopic Repair for Large to Massive Rotator Cuff Tears With Incomplete Footprint Coverage.

Abstract

There is no research on incomplete footprint coverage with single-row repair related to bone marrow stimulation (BMS) in large to massive rotator cuff tears (RCTs). The purpose was to compare the clinical results and structural integrity between BMS and non-BMS groups that underwent arthroscopic repair of large to massive rotator cuff tears with <50% footprint coverage. It was hypothesized that both groups would exhibit improved clinical outcomes at 2 years after surgery but the BMS group would have significantly better clinical outcomes and structural integrity. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. This study included 98 patients who underwent arthroscopic repair with <50% footprint coverage for large to massive RCTs with (BMS group; n = 56) or without (non-BMS group; n = 42) BMS. Functional outcomes at the 2-year follow-up were assessed using the visual analog scale for pain score, subjective shoulder value; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score; University of California, Los Angeles, shoulder score; and active range of motion. Structural integrity was evaluated using magnetic resonance arthrography or computed tomography arthrography results at 6 months postoperatively. At the 2-year follow-up, all functional outcomes significantly improved in both groups compared with preoperative values (<i>P</i> < .001). However, there were no significant postoperative differences between groups. On follow-up magnetic resonance arthrography or computed tomography arthrography, the overall retear rate was not significantly different between the BMS group (30.3%; 17/56) and the non-BMS group (35.7%; 15/42). While both groups exhibited functional improvement after single-row repair with <50% footprint coverage for large to massive RCTs, BMS did not produce better clinical outcomes or structural integrity.