Arthroscopic bridging reconstruction of irreparable massive rotator cuff tears using autogenous fascia lata

Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic bridging reconstruction of irreparable massive rotator cuff tears using autogenous fascia lata. Methods From July 2015 to July 2017, a total of 10 cases (4 male and 6 female) who were treated with arthroscopic bridging reconstruction for irreparable massive rotator cuff tears using autogenous fascia lata were retrospectively analyzed. The age before surgery was 61.3±2.9 years (range 57-67 years). There were 7 patients with right shoulders and 3 with left shoulders. The dominate sides were involved in 7 cases. The trauma history was documented in 2 shoulders. The duration of preoperative symptoms was 14.0±13.5 months (1-48 months). The case with revision surgery was not included. The patients were examined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the healing of fascia lata patch bridging in the joint at one week, six months, one year and two years after operation. The motion range of shoulder and the clinical scores, including visual analogue scale (VAS), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score, Constant-Murley score and American Shoulder & Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, were measured before surgery and at follow-up duration. Results All cases were reconstructed the horizontal couple. No perioperative complication was occurred and all surgery were completed safely and successfully. At the end of two years, the score of ASES was 92.2±3.5 (range 88.3-98.3), UCLA 31.6±2.0 (range 28-34), Constant-Murley 85.2±5.4 (range 78-93) with significant difference (t=11.254, P=0.000; t=12.111, P=0.000; t=8.948, P=0.00) comparing with that before surgery. The VAS pain score was 0.6±0.5 (range 0-1) which was significantly lower than that preoperatively (t=11.326, P=0.000). At 2 years after operation, MRI shows that fascia lata patches healed well in 9 patients. However, one case was with re-tear and patch absorption. The range of motion of shoulder was significantly improved in all patients but with different degrees of weakness (3-4). Conclusion Arthroscopic bridging reconstruction using autogenous fascia lata could effectively improve shoulder function in patients with irreparable massive rotator cuff tears. The autogenous fascia lata patch can heal with the help of rotator cuff tissue through bridging reconstruction. Key words: Arthroscopy; Fascia lata; Reconstructive surgical procedures; Rotator cuff; Transplants