Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repairs

Traditionally, when a patient required surgical repair of a rotator cuff injury, an incision was made over the outside of the shoulder, usually about 6-10 centimeters in length. The muscle beneath the skin was separated to expose the rotator cuff, and the rotator cuff was then inspected and repaired. This is what surgeons call an "open rotator cuff repair." 

Techniques have now been developed to perform the entire rotator cuff repair using arthroscopic instruments. This is known as "arthroscopic rotator cuff repair." Instead of making a larger incision and looking directly at the rotator cuff, the surgeon makes several smaller incisions and works with small instruments while looking at the rotator cuff on a television monitor. 

Arthroscopic repairs cause minimal trauma to the tissues that surround the shoulder and the rotator cuff. Patients have smaller scars and less damage to these nearby structures. One potential complication of an open rotator cuff repair is detachment of the deltoid; this potential problem is avoided by the arthroscopic technique. Surgeons can also see the rotator cuff much better through an arthroscope, and can maneuver throughout the shoulder joint without the limitations of an incision.