By Gina Brokenbrough
ORLANDO, Fla. — Among patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair reinforced with an absorbable biologic scaffold for treatment of full-thickness tears, researchers observed a low retear rate, along with improved function and clinical outcome scores.
“Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with BioFiber (Tornier) augmentation demonstrates excellent clinical outcomes. Overall, full-thickness retear rate was very low at 4.6%. This is a technically manageable procedure with a limited learning curve and adding minimal time in the OR,” Scott E. Barbash, MD, said during his presentation at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. “Consider this in patients with increased risk for poor healing due to age, tear size, tissue quality or prior failed repair.”
Barbash and colleagues studied 50 patients who had arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with augmentation and 6 months of follow-up. Of these patients, six completed 1 year of follow-up. Barbash noted 12% of patients had previous cuff surgery. In addition, many patients underwent concomitant procedures. Repair constructs were based on tear size, geometry and surgeons’ discretion.
