Arthroscopic assisted rotator cuff repair: preliminary results.

Arthroscopic assisted rotator cuff repair is a method of performing an arthroscopic subacromial decompression with repair of the rotator cuff through a limited deltoid splitting approach. We evaluated 25 patients with a minimum of 1 year follow-up. Based on the UCLA shoulder rating, 80% of the patients were rated as excellent or good. There was significant improvement in pain, function, motion, and strength. Ninety-six percent of the patients were satisfied with the procedure. Of the patients with small or moderate size tears, 100% received a satisfactory rating. Arthroscopic assisted rotator cuff repair is presented as an attractive alternative in treating symptomatic patients with complete tears of the rotator cuff.