Tuberoplasty: Indications, Technique, and Preliminary Results

The optimal approach to the treatment of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears (MIRCTs) continues to be debated among shoulder surgeons. While nonsurgical treatment is a reasonable option for some, many of these patients continue to experience pain, weakness, and overall limited function of the shoulder. Superior capsular reconstruction has become a widely accepted approach to the treatment of MIRCT, however, there exists several technical and biological challenges to this technique. Overcoming many of these difficulties, a recently described technique involves the placement of a biological interpositional graft over the greater tuberosity which acts as a permanent spacer between the humerus and acromion. With the primary goal of providing pain relief, this technique may function to improve the benefit of rehab following MIRCT. In this article, we describe the indications, technique, and early outcomes of this so-called “tuberoplasty” approach to MIRCT.