Failure of Dermal Allograft Repair of Massive Rotator Cuff Tears in Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinical Assessment

Overview

Journal Clin Orthop Surg

Specialty Orthopedics

Date 2019 Jun 4

PMID 31156773

Citations 6

Authors

Conor James Craig Gouk

Ryan Mark Shulman

Craig Buchan

Michael John Evan Thomas

Fraser James Taylor

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Massive retracted rotator cuff tears represent a therapeutic dilemma, particularly in the young and middle-aged patients who are not appropriate for a reverse total shoulder replacement. Interposition grafting using human dermal allograft offers an alternative treatment.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent interposition grafting using human dermal allograft between December 2013 and May 2015 for massive rotator cuff tears at our tertiary referral center was performed. Preoperative and 6 month postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessments were performed in all patients, with postoperative graft integrity being the primary outcome measure. Clinical evaluation was performed using the Oxford shoulder score, Constant score, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score.

Results: The mean age at the time of follow-up was 54 years. On MRI, 84% of grafts were seen to have failed at 6 months. Strength was grossly reduced on the operative side when supraspinatus and subscapularis were tested; despite this, Constant score (mean, 48.2) was comparable to that in the previous reports. DASH and Oxford scores were a mean of 24.94 and 37.16, respectively.

Conclusions: Based on these results, in particular the MRI findings, we cannot advocate the use of dermal allograft as an interposition graft for the repair of massive rotator cuff tears.

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