Results of open repair of the rotator cuff--a long-term review of 79 shoulders.

In 72 patients with 79 tears of the rotator cuff that had been completely repaired by open surgery, the outcome was evaluated on the basis of history, Constant functional score and radiography. At a mean follow-up period of 6.75 years, the Constant score was 71.5 points on average, showing a high correlation with the patients' subjective satisfaction, but the score was not a reliable indicator of recurrence. The larger the cuff tear, the poorer the result was. However, deterioration was not related to the duration of follow-up or the patient's age. The presence of acromioclavicular arthrosis also had no influence on the overall result. A comparison of follow-up radiographs with those obtained immediately after surgery revealed (despite postoperative flat subacromial resection) evidence of heterotopic bone formations or ossifications in nearly half of the patients. However, except for individual cases, this had no significant influence on the clinical result or the Constant score.