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©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Dec 18, 2015; 6(11): 902-918
Published online Dec 18, 2015. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v6.i11.902
Published online Dec 18, 2015. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v6.i11.902
Rotator cuff tears: An evidence based approach
Senthil Nathan Sambandam, Joint Reconstruction Center, Department of Orthopaedics, K.G. Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute, Coimbatore 641018, Tamil Nadu, India
Vishesh Khanna, DNB Orthopaedics, Department of Orthopaedics, K.G. Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute, Coimbatore 641018, Tamil Nadu, India
Arif Gul, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, Essex CM20 1QX, United Kingdom
Varatharaj Mounasamy, VCU Medical Center Ambulatory Care Center, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
Author contributions: Sambandam SN, Khanna V, Gul A and Mounasamy V contributed equally to this work; Sambandam SN and Khanna V designed the research; Sambandam SN, Khanna V, Gul A and Mounasamy V performed the research and analysed the data; Sambandam SN and Khanna V wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors Drs. Senthil Nathan Sambandam, Vishesh Khanna, Arif Gul, Varatharaj Mounasamy have not received fees for serving as a speaker, nor have they received research funding from any organization. None of the authors possess stocks and/or shares. There are no conflicts of interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Senthil Nathan Sambandam, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Reconstruction Center, Department of Orthopaedics, K.G. Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute, Arts College Road, Coimbatore 641018, Tamil Nadu, India. sam_senthil2002@yahoo.co.in
Telephone: +91-98-40015401
Received: May 10, 2015
Peer-review started: May 12, 2015
First decision: July 27, 2015
Revised: August 4, 2015
Accepted: October 16, 2015
Article in press: October 19, 2015
Published online: December 18, 2015
Peer-review started: May 12, 2015
First decision: July 27, 2015
Revised: August 4, 2015
Accepted: October 16, 2015
Article in press: October 19, 2015
Published online: December 18, 2015
Core Tip
Core tip: Close attention to history and examination enables early diagnosis in the frequently asymptomatic rotator cuff tear. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging serve as excellent visualization tools. While conservative measures are successful in elderly patients with minimal lesions and demands, regular monitoring helps in isolating the surgical candidate. Early surgery should be considered in younger, healthier, active and symptomatic patients. Lower grades of tears do well with debridement alone while more severe lesions warrant a repair. Arthroscopic double-row repairs are superior in patients with massive tears. Satisfactory results are obtained with timely diagnosis and execution of the appropriate treatment modality.