• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.255-263
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• 2009

Purpose: An osseous defect in the glenoid and humeral head is closely associated with recurrence of anterior shoulder instability. The purpose of this article is to describe the open surgical techniques and introduce our experiences with anterior instability with a significant osseous defect. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the articles that have focused on and/or mentioned the affect of osseous defects on anterior shoulder instability. The open surgical techniques and its related pearls are summarized in this review. Results: Accurate evaluation for the size and location of the osseous defect is critical for preventing recurrence after restoration of the anterior capsulolabral structure. The glenoid bone restoration techniques include the coracoids transfer (the Bristow procedure and the Latarjet procedure) and a structural iliac bone graft. Rotational humeral osteotomy and an osteoarticular allograft could be used for repairing a significant posterosuperior humeral defect (Hill-Sachs lesion). Shoulder arthroplasty may be tried for treating a humeral bone defect, but more study on this is needed. Conclusion: Open surgical restoration decreases the risk of recurrence anterior shoulder instability that is combined with a significant osseous defect. Arthroscopic surgery currently has limitations for treating an osseous defect, but it will become useful in proportion to the development of arthroscopic instruments and techniques in the future.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2009

Purpose: We wanted to evaluate the results of arthroscopic management of an isolated rupture of the subscapularis tendon using suture anchors. Materials and Methods: Twenty nine patients with unilateral ruptures of the subscapularis tendon and who underwent arthroscopic repair between February 2001 and October 2007 were reviewed prospectively. All the cases were isolated tears of the subscapularis without the involvement of any other rotator cuff tendon. In 19 patients the tear was localized to the superior one third, in 7 cases the tear was localized to the upper two thirds and the entire tendon was involved in 3 cases. The mean follow up period was 12.2 months (range: 6-26 months). The results of the treatment were assessed by evaluating the constant shoulder score and the pain score before surgery and after surgery. Results: The constant shoulder score improved from $49.9\pm7.3$ to $73.8\pm3.0$ points compared to before surgery and the pain score improved from $4.3\pm3.2$ to $11.2\pm3.0$ points postoperatively. Conclusion: Arthroscopic repair of isolated ruptures of the subscapularis tendon using suture anchors is a good option for effectively managing these tears.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.102-108
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• 2009

Purpose: The bone defects that are associated with shoulder anterior instability may be the causes of failure of arthroscopic surgery. For the treatment of traumatic shoulder instability, we tried to determine the arthroscopic techniques that can be used for the bone defect of the glenoid and the humeral head. The purpose of this study is to assess the surgical techniques for the arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder with anterior instability and bone defects. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the articles that have been recently published on anterior shoulder instability and we assessed the arthroscopic surgical techniques. We compared the articles and the methods of arthroscopic surgical techniques for treating bone defects of the anteroinferior glenoid and the posterolateral humeral head, which were considered as the causes of recurrence of shoulder instability. Results: There are the anteroinferior bone defects of the glenoid and Hill-Sachs lesions in the bone defects that appear in patients with anterior shoulder instability. These bone defects are currently the causes of failure of arthroscopic surgery. Conclusion: Open shoulder surgery may be the treatment of the choice for a shoulder with instability and significant bone defects of the glenoid and the humeral head. But efforts are being made to overcome the weaknesses of open surgery by the use of arthroscopy.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.68-76
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• 2014

Background: Recently, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has been accepted as a main treatment option in irreparable massive rotator cuff tear with cuff arthropathy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early complication incidence and the preliminary clinical results of RTSAs performed in single institute. Methods: Fifty-seven RTSAs (56 patients) were performed between April 2011 and March 2013. The indications for RTSA were cuff tear arthropathy and irreparable massive rotator cuff tear with or without pseudoparalysis. Exclusion criteria were revision, preoperative infections and fractures. At final follow-up, 45 shoulders were enrolled. Mean follow-up duration was 12.5 months (range, 6-27 months). The mean age at the time of surgery was 73.6 years (range, 58-87 years). All the patients were functionally accessed via Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, pain and functional visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and active range of motion. Complications were documented as major and minor. Major complications include fractures, infections, dislocations, nerve palsies, aseptic loosening of humeral or glenoid components, or glenoid screw problems. Minor complications include radiographic scapular notching, hematomas, heterotopic ossification, algodystrophy, intraoperative dislocations, intraoperative cement extravasation, or radiographic lucent lines of the glenoid. Results: The mean Constant score increased from 31.4 to 53.8 (p < 0.001). The pain and functional VAS scores improved (5.2 to 2.7, p < 0.001, 4.0 to 6.7, p < 0.001) and active forward flexion improved from $96.9^{\circ}$ to $125.6^{\circ}$ (p = 0.011). One or more complications occurred in 16 (35.6%) of 45 shoulders, with one failure (2.2%) resulting in the removal of implants by late infection. The single most common complication was scapular notching (9 [20%]). There were 4 (8.9%) axillary nerve palsies postoperatively (n=3: transient n. palsy, n=1: Symptom existed at 11 months postoperatively but improving). Conclusions: In a sort term follow-up, RTSA provided substantial gain in overall function. Most common early complications were scapular notching and postoperative neuropathy. Although overall early complication rate was as high as reported by several authors, most of the complications can be observable without compromise to patients' clinical outcome. Long term follow-up is required to clarify the clinical result and overall complication rate.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2017

Background: To determine the natural progression of conservatively treated rotator cuff tears, we evaluated changes in radiologic and clinical parameters in patients whose recalcitrant tears were neglected after conservative treatment. Methods: A total of 73 patients with recalcitrant rotator cuff tears in spite of conservative treatment were included in this study. We measured changes in tear size and in the extent of fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff by comparing the initial and final follow-up magnetic resonance imagings (MRIs). To determine factors influencing the change in tear size, we collected the medical history of patients taken at the time of initial admission. Results: The average follow-up period was 20.1 months, and the average increase in tear size across this period was 6.2 mm. In terms of steroid injection, we found that the increases in tear size of the steroid injection group (p=0.049) and of the sub-group that had received more than three steroid injections (p=0.010) were significantly greater than that of the non-steroid injection group. Conclusions: We found that the increase in cuff tear size was on average 6.2 mm across the follow-up period, indicating that neglecting cuff tears may cause them to progress into more severe tears. We also observed that a history of steroid injection might be a possible risk factor for a worse prognosis of cuff tears. Therefore, we suggest that patients with rotator cuff tears and a history of steroid injection are recommended aggressive modes of treatment such as surgery.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2008

Purpose: This study prospectively evaluated the outcome of arthroscopic transtendinous repair as a treatment for partial articular side tears of the rotator cuff. Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients with symptomatic, partial articular side tears of the rotator cuff underwent modified transtendinous repair. The patient's mean age was 52.5 years and the mean duration of symptoms was 33.7 weeks. The visual analogue scale (VAS), the ASES score, the active ROM of the shoulder and the patient's satisfaction were evaluated both preoperatively and postoperatively. The clinical results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon's signed rank test. Results: The mean VAS was $6.6\pm1.1$ before treatment and $0.4\pm0.6$ at 6 month, and the ASES scores for all the patients were significantly better over the six-month period of follow-up (p<0.05). The mean active ROM in abduction was $94.3\pm22.3$ before treatment, $108.7\pm16.3$ at 1 month (p=0.0041) and $164.3\pm5.3$ at six months (p=0.0006). In flexion, it was $105.0\pm23.8$ before treatment, $119.0\pm17.4$ at 1 month(p=0.0075) and $174.3\pm5.3$ at six months (p=0.0006). At the final follow-up, 94% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied after operation. Conclusion: We experienced satisfactory clinical results after a short-term follow-up of arthroscopic transtendinous repair, and we believed this to be an effective procedure for patients with partial articular side tears of the rotator cuff.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.229-235
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• 2011

Purpose: To compare the clinical and radiological result of arthroscopic Mattress Locking suture repair to that of a Simple suture repair with small and medium-sized rotator cuff tears. Materials and Methods: Among 92 patients who were followed up after arthroscopic repair in patients with small and medium-sized rotator cuff tear from April 2007 to October 2010, 27 patients who took Arthroscopic Mattress Locking suture were set as group I and 65 patients who took Simple suture were set as Group II. The average age of patients were 58 years old and average follow-up period was 30 months. For analysis, VAS, ASES and KSS were used to analyze the range of joint movement and pain. And, for the image result, MRI performed after operation were evaluated. Results: The average VAS, KSS, UCLA score and ASES prior to surgery improved in the last follow-up (p<0.001), while was no difference in two groups (p>0.001). In MRI follow-up examination, the 2 cases (7.41%) of group 1 showed increased rupture lesions with improved symptoms. And the 12 cases (18.47%) of group 2 showed increased rupture lesions with improved symptoms. Retears in the group I were significant less than the group II (p<0.001). Conclusion: Comparing patients with small and medium-sized rotator cuff tear who took arthroscopic mattress locking suture repair to those who took simple suture repair after over one year follow up period, the clinical result showed no significant difference between two groups. However, Mattress Locking suture repair showed excellent radiological result compared to simple suture repair when comparing rerupture.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2010

Purpose: To evaluate clinical features and surgical results for rotator cuff tear secondary to shoulder dislocation in middle-aged and elderly patients. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 19 patients over 50 years of age who had rotator cuff tears combined with shoulder dislocation between October 2004 and October 2008. There were 7 males and 12 females with a mean age 64.7 years (range, 50 to 78 years). The average follow-up duration was 22 months (range, 8 to 56 months). We investigated the number of dislocations, the size of the cuff tear, the presence of Bankart lesions and the time interval from dislocation to surgery. We also investigated the ASES score, UCLA score, SST score, and shoulder range of motion before and after surgery. We analyzed clinical outcomes and contributing factors. Results: ASES scores improved from 30.2 preoperatively to 72.3 postoperatively; UCLA scores improved from 12.9 to 26.5; SST scores improved from 2.4 to 7.3. Range of motion improved significantly: forward flexion, abduction, external rotation and internal rotation were, respectively, $110.8({\pm}39.3)^{\circ}$, $107.7({\pm}40)^{\circ}$, $22.5({\pm}17.6)^{\circ}$ and L5 level preoperatively; postoperatively they were $153.6({\pm}20.6)^{\circ}$, $152.1({\pm}20.8)^{\circ}$, $36.4({\pm}22.7)^{\circ}$ and L1 level. Age, the presence of Bankart lesions and the number of dislocations were not correlated with clinical outcomes. But the size of the cuff tear was correlated with clinical results. Also, the duration from dislocation to surgery was correlated with postoperative UCLA and SST scores (p=0.039, p=0.038). Conclusion: For shoulder dislocation, it is important to achieve early diagnoses of rotator cuff tears in middle-aged and elderly patients. If these injuries are both present, early rotator cuff repair should be performed for better clinical results.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2010

Purpose: To evaluate clinical results of a single percutaneous injection of platelet-rich plasma in patients with refractory lateral epicondylitis. Materials and Methods: Between Jan and Dec 2009, fifteen patients (5 male, 10 female) received a diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis of the elbow and were evaluated in this study. Their average age was 43.5 years. All patients were initially given a variety of non-surgical treatments for more than 1year. All patients were considering surgery. These patients were given a single percutaneous injection of 3cc of platelet-rich plasma. To assess pain, we used a visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and during work & the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) score. We compared the score before treatment with scores 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. Results: Average VAS scores at rest improved from 4.6 before treatment to 2.5 at week 4, and 1.8 at week 12. The average VAS score while working also improved from 7.8 before treatment to 6.2 at week 4, and 4.25 at week 12. The average PRTEE score improved from 60.13 before treatment to 46.12 at week 4 and 24.6 at week 12. Conclusion: Treatment using a single percutaneous injection of platelet-rich plasma in patients with refractory lateral epicondylitis appears to be an effective treatment modality. Platelet-rich plasma should be considered before surgical intervention.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between the clinical outcome and the cuff integrity following open repair in large and massive rotator cuff tears using ultrasonography as an imaging modality. Material and Methods: From November 2001 to April 2005, 17 cases(16 patients) who had open repair of tear measuring more than 3cm were assessed with minimal follow-up of 12 months in this study. 6 cases had a large tear and 11 cases a massive tear. There were 6 men and 11 women with a mean age of 52 years at surgery (range, 33 to 72 years). The evaluation consisted of the preoperative and postoperative shoulder scores according to UCLA shoulder scoring system and Visual analogue scale (VAS). Ultrasonography was performed by a experienced musculoskeletal physician at a minimum of 12 months postoperatively to evaluate the postoperative cuff integrity. Results: Retear were detected in four of seventeen cases. Regardless of the presence of recurrent tear, 14 cases had UCLA score of more than 29 points (good grade). All 17 had an improvement in the functional score, which increased from an average of 15.1 to 31.2 points. All cases showed pain relief and five cases had no pain. Sixteen cases except one had the range of motion of forward elevation above $90^{\circ}$. Conclusion: Open rotator cuff repair in large and massive tears showed low retear rate. At a minimum of twelve months follow-up, all cases had improvement on UCLA score, pain relief, increased range of motion of the shoulder regardless of retear. And the correlation between recurrent tear and function score was not statistically significant.