Clinical Outcome and Causative Factor in Patients of Structural Failure after Rotator Cuff Repair

We wanted to evaluate the relationship between the clinical outcomes and cuff integrity after open rotator cuff repair and we wanted to analyze the causes of rotator cuff retear. Materials and Methods: 78 patients who underwent open rotator cuff repair were enrolled from 2004 to 2006. All the patients were observed for a minimum follow-up of 12 months and they were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The clinical outcomes were accessed by dividing the patients into the retear group and the intact group. The groups were also compared to analyze the cause of rotator cuff retear according to the preoperative tear size, the symptom duration, and so on. Results: The clinical outcome of the retear group (n=22) was improved significantly after operation (p<0.001, p<0.001), but the muscle power was not improved significantly (p=0.099, p=0.243). More retears were found in the patients who had a larger preoperative tear (p<0.001) and the symptom duration of the retear group was longer (p=0.027).