A combined anterior and posterior cuff transfer: a novel technique for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.

Introduction: Irreparable rotator cuff tears (IRCTs) are large tears that can't be surgically repaired due to poor tissue quality, degeneration, or severe tendon retraction. These tears often involve multiple tendons and lead to fatty infiltration, humeral head migration, and tendon retraction. Patients with IRCTs typically present with pseudoparalysis, muscle atrophy, or anterosuperior escape. While various surgical options exist, outcomes are often inconsistent. This case series presents a novel technique for managing massive IRCTs, showing excellent, consistent results and offering a promising advancement for treating these challenging cases.

Methodology: Our case series involved 20 patients with massive irreparable rotator cuff tears, presenting clinically with pseudoparalysis and radiographically with signs of fatty infiltration, anterosuperior escape, and tendon retraction. The outcomes of interest included the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORI), Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), and range of motion arc (forward flexion and abduction), measured both preoperatively and postoperatively.

Results: The mean age of our patient cohort was 53.6 years, with a mean follow-up time of 40 months. The mean preoperative WORI score was 155.3, which improved to 54.2 postoperatively, showing an improvement of 101 points from the baseline. The mean preoperative OSS was 34.4, improving to 10.5 postoperatively, with a gain of 23.8 points. The mean preoperative range of motion for forward flexion was 67.0°, which improved to 164° postoperatively, resulting in a mean gain of 97°. The mean preoperative abduction was 57°, which improved to 166° postoperatively, with a mean gain of 109°. All these findings were statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In our surgical technique, all patients demonstrated clinically and statistically significant improvements in both range of motion and patient-reported outcomes. This makes our approach a novel, robust, and reliable technique for managing massive irreparable tears, particularly in young adult patients.

Level of evidence: Case Series, Level IV.