Arthroscopic treatment options for irreparable rotator cuff tears of the shoulder

Table 4 Results of Synthetic interposition

Study	Number	Ave age (yr)	Follow-up(mo)	Outcome ScorePre/post/P value	ROMPre/post/P value	Conclusion
Nada el al[54] Polyester ligament (Dacron)	21	66.5	36	Constant: 46.6/84.5/P < 0.001 Excellent 17, good 2, fair 1, poor 1	FF: 65/120/P < 0.001 Abd: 60/120/P < 0.001 ER: 39/57/P = 0.01	Polyester (Dacron) ligament augmentation can result in a pain free successful return of function in active symptomatic patients with massive chronic tears of the rotator cuff
Hirooka et al[13] Gore-Tex soft tissue patch	26	62	44	JOA: 57.8/86/NR		Good clinical results, especially pain relief, could be achieved with this procedure in both the small- and the large-patch groups, but good abduction strength was obtained only in the small-patch group
Audenaert et al[55] Mersilene mesh	41	67	43	Constant: 25.7/72.1/P < 0.001	FF: 69.2/136/P < 0.001 Abd: 68.4:133.7/P < 0.001	A polyester patch for the closure of massive rotator cuff tears is a satisfying procedure in this complex and technically challenging group of patients
Ozaki et al[14] Teflon felt	25	67.3	42	23: No pain, 2: Some pain	ER: 32.4/38.2/P < 0.05 16: Normal, 7: > 120 2: < 30	Of 25 patients with massive rotator cuff tears, 23 had satisfactory functional results
Visuri et al[56] Carbon fibre patch	10	53.9	50.4	Excellent 7, good 2, poor 1	Abd: 73/166/NR	A carbon fiber tow application combined with Neer's anterior acromioplasty seems useful in the reconstruction of large tears of the rotator cuff

FF: Forward flexion; Abd: Abduction; ER: External rotation; JOA: Japanese Orthopaedic Association.