Subacromial Balloon Interpositional Arthroplasty for the Management of Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears: Five-year Results

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Abstract

Background:

Management of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears can be a source of significant dilemma for the treating surgeon. This is especially true when dealing with patients with poor physiological reserves where options of tendon transfer, superior capsular repair or arthroplasty might be unsuitable. We report the five-year outcomes of 26 patients who underwent balloon interpositional arthoplasty for the management of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.

Methods:

Fifty-four consecutive patients underwent balloon interpositional arthroplasty in our institution. Of these, 26 patients completed at least two postoperative functional outcome measures over a five-year period, which included the Visual Analogue Score (VAS), Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) and the SF12 score. Outcome scores were obtained prospectively.

Results:

The average age at implantation was 67 years old. Our result shows statistically significant improvement in pain up to five years post-implantation of the device (p = 0.012). Function measured by the OSS and SF12 (PCS) score showed improvement up to two years post-implantation (p = 0.006). Three of the 54 patients in our cohort went on to have arthroplasty surgery for their rotator cuff tears. None of the patients in our cohort suffered from any adverse reactions following implantation.

Discussion/Conclusion:

Results from our study identify the spacer device as an option in the management of irreparable rotator cuff tears with statistical improvement in pain and function. It may also delay the need for arthoplasty surgery.

Related collections

Most cited references 17

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Clinical results of arthroscopic superior capsule reconstruction for irreparable rotator cuff tears.

Teruhisa Mihata, Thay Lee, Chisato Watanabe … (2013)

The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical outcome and radiographic findings after arthroscopic superior capsule reconstruction (ASCR) for symptomatic irreparable rotator cuff tears.

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Abnormal findings on magnetic resonance images of asymptomatic shoulders.

A Posada, Michael B Zlatkin, David J. Sher … (1994)

Magnetic resonance images of the shoulders of ninety-six asymptomatic individuals were evaluated to determine the prevalence of findings consistent with a tear of the rotator cuff. The scans were reviewed independently by two diagnostic radiologists who are experienced in the interpretation of magnetic resonance images of the shoulder. The over-all prevalence of tears of the rotator cuff in all age-groups was 34 per cent (thirty-three). There were fourteen full-thickness tears (15 per cent) and nineteen partial-thickness tears (20 per cent). The frequency of full-thickness and partial-thickness tears increased significantly with age (p < 0.001 and 0.05, respectively). Twenty-five (54 per cent) of the forty-six individuals who were more than sixty years old had a tear of the rotator cuff: thirteen (28 per cent) had a full-thickness tear and twelve (26 per cent) had a partial-thickness tear. Of the twenty-five individuals who were forty to sixty years old, one (4 per cent) had a full-thickness tear and six (24 per cent) had a partial-thickness tear. Of the twenty-five individuals who were nineteen to thirty-nine years old, none had a full-thickness tear and one (4 per cent) had a partial-thickness tear. Magnetic resonance imaging identified a high prevalence of tears of the rotator cuff in asymptomatic individuals. These tears were increasingly frequent with advancing age and were compatible with normal, painless, functional activity. The results of the present study emphasize the potential hazards of the use of magnetic resonance imaging scans alone as a basis for the determination of operative intervention in the absence of associated clinical findings.

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Pathology of the torn rotator cuff tendon. Reduction in potential for repair as tear size increases.

James A. Carr, N Athanasou, J Rees … (2006)

We have studied cellular and vascular changes in different stages of full thickness tears of the rotator cuff. We examined biopsies from the supraspinatus tendon in 40 patients with chronic rotator cuff tears who were undergoing surgery and compared them with biopsies from four uninjured subscapularis tendons. Morphological and immunocytochemical methods using monoclonal antibodies directed against leucocytes, macrophages, mast cells, proliferative and vascular markers were used. Histological changes indicative of repair and inflammation were most evident in small sized rotator cuff tears with increased fibroblast cellularity and intimal hyperplasia, together with increased expression of leucocyte and vascular markers. These reparative and inflammatory changes diminished as the size of the rotator cuff tear increased. Marked oedema and degeneration was seen in large and massive tears, which more often showed chondroid metaplasia and amyloid deposition. There was no association between the age of the patient and the duration of symptoms. In contrast, large and massive tears showed no increase in the number of inflammatory cells and blood vessels. Small sized rotator cuff tears retained the greatest potential to heal, showing increased fibroblast cellularity, blood vessel proliferation and the presence of a significant inflammatory component. Tissue from large and massive tears is of such a degenerative nature that it may be a significant cause of re-rupture after surgical repair and could make healing improbable in this group.