TITLE:
Double Band Double-Pulley Repair for Articular Surface Partial Tears of the Supraspinatus in Throwing Athletes: Improving the Transtendon Technique
AUTHORS:
Osvaldo Garcia Martinez, Eduard Buess, Diosveny Gonzales Hernandez
KEYWORDS:
Partial Tear; Supraspinatus Tendon; Throwing Athlete; PASTA-Lesion; PAINT-Lesion
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Orthopedics,
Vol.2 No.4,
December
31,
2012
ABSTRACT: Disabled shoulders of
throwing athletes typically present with extended undersurface partial tears of
the rotator cuff, which include the posterior
supraspinatus and the anterior infraspinatus tendon to a variable extent. We
propose a modified transtendon repair technique to adequately treat this subset
of patients. The repair includes two double-loaded anchors, at the anterior and
the posterior end of the tear, respectively. With the help of an angulated
penetrator we create a medial and a lateral band of sutures on top of the cuff,
producing a broad contact in the tendon-to-bone interface. All the 9 so far
operated patients were young men, 7 of them base-ball pitchers, and 5 active in
competitive sports. The Constant Score rose from
72 points preoperatively to 99 points at 12 months follow-up. Three of the
still active pitchers were able to return to their previous level in sports
after one year. The improved footprint contact of our novel repair construct
should allow for better healing and, therefore, a higher chance of return to
competition.