Arthroscopic Superior Capsular Reconstruction for Treatment of Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears: An Update of the Technique for 2020.

Abstract

The treatment of massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears presents a substantial challenge to health-care professionals. Treatment options range from nonoperative to operative, including debridement, partial repair, biceps tenotomy, bridging patch grafts, muscle transfers, and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. However, the results of such treatments are often mixed, and many carry a substantial risk of complications. Superior capsular reconstruction has been described as a surgical alternative to the aforementioned procedures. Superior capsular reconstruction is a technique that provides an anatomic reconstruction of the superior capsule of the glenohumeral joint, with the goal of restoring the normal restraint to superior translation that is lost with a deficient superior rotator cuff. The technique described in the present article highlights the pearls and pitfalls learned over the last several years of performing arthroscopic reconstruction of the superior capsule with dermal allograft.