London Shoulder Specialist publishes rotator cuff repair study

London Shoulder Specialist Mr Ali Narvani has co-authored a study on rotator cuff repair. Titled ‘Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Rotator Cuff Repairs Using All-Suture Anchors as Medial Row Anchors’, the research paper was recently published in The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery.

The aim of the study was to report the clinical and radiological outcomes of double-row transosseous equivalent rotator cuff repairs, where all-suture anchors were used as medial-row anchors, with a minimum follow-up of one year.

Twenty-two consecutive patients were assessed using the Oxford Shoulder Score, Constant Score and Visual Analogue Scale pain score, together with shoulder range of motion. These were used preoperatively and then at three- and six-month check-ups and at the final follow-up.

Radiological evaluation was performed with MRI at one year after the operation to assess the structural integrity of the repair. Healing failure in the 22 patients was less than 5% and there were significant improvements in shoulder function, range of motion and the pain score.

The conclusion drawn by the study’s authors was that it was safe to use all-suture anchors as medial-row anchors when performing double-row anchor transosseous equivalent rotator cuff repairs, outweighing their perceived disadvantages in rotator cuff repair.