CLINICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES OF OPEN REPAIR OF FULL-THICKNESS ROTATOR CUFF TEARS: A RETROSPECTIVE SERIES OF 30 PATIENTS

Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder pain and functional impairment. This study aimed to evaluate clinical and functional outcomes after open repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. A retrospective descriptive study included 30 patients treated between January 2015 and January 2023. Mean age was 56 years (range, 35–73), and 20 patients were women. Twenty-three tears were post-traumatic and were treated within 3 months of injury; 7 were degenerative. All tears were full-thickness. Twenty-eight patients underwent complete anchor-based double-row repair, and 2 massive U-shaped tears underwent partial repair with side-to-side sutures. Acromioplasty was performed in all patients. Mean follow-up was 22 months (range, 6–36). The mean Constant–Murley score increased from approximately 30 preoperatively to 87 at final follow-up. Twenty-five patients were pain-free, and 5 reported minimal exertional pain. Active shoulder mobility was normal in 10 patients, slightly reduced in 15, and reduced in 5. One superficial surgical-site infection was managed with local debridement for microbiological sampling and antibiotic therapy, with a favorable outcome. No postoperative stiffness or clinically documented retear was reported; however, postoperative imaging was not routinely performed. Open repair was associated with favorable clinical and functional outcomes in this series. These findings require cautious interpretation because of the retrospective design, small sample size, absence of a comparison group, and lack of systematic postoperative imaging.