Arthroscopic rotator cuff debridement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

There is little information available concerning the results of rotator cuff debridement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We performed a review of 16 shoulders with underlying RA that underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff tear debridement; there were 10 full-thickness tears and 6 partial-thickness tears. Of the 10 patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears, 8 had unsatisfactory results, whereas none of the patients with partial-thickness tears had unsatisfactory results. Pain was improved in 5 of 6 shoulders with partial-thickness cuff tears, whereas only 5 of 10 with full-thickness tears had an improvement with regard to pain. Motion did not improve in either group. Patients with RA who require operative intervention for pain relief because of rotator cuff tearing can be treated successfully with debridement alone. However, pain relief was less predictable with large or massive tears when compared with partial-thickness tears, and functional gains were not achieved in either group.