Decompressive surgery in the tendinitis and tear stages of rotator cuff disease.

Eighty-six shoulders with rotator cuff disease (54 with tendinitis and 32 with rotator cuff tear stage) operated on to relieve the impingement exerted by the coracoacromioclavicular arch on the rotator cuff were analyzed. The median follow-up time was 5.0 years. Partial resection of the anterior undersurface of the acromion, excision of the coracoacromial ligament or of the lateral end of the clavicle (and most commonly a combination of all three measures), were the methods used to achieve decompression. The final results show a substantial improvement in 83% of the cases. The results were related to the extent of acromial resection, preoperative range of the painful arc, and age ; but no statistically significant prognostic signs could be determined. There was some evidence, however, that a wide painful arc and extensive resection of the acromion were associated with a poor outcome. The indications for clavicular resection remain somewhat uncertain. Clavicular resection combined with acromioplasty seemed to give somewhat fewer good results, but the procedure is nevertheless indicated in cases with subacromial impingement associated with acromioclavicular osteoarthrithis. Decompressive surgery proved to be as effective in the tendinitis stage of the disease as in the case of rotator cuff tear. Conclusive operative release of shoulder impingement in rotator cuff disease is a useful procedure in patients with painful arc symptoms resistant to conservative treatment. The result can be improved by refinement of both indications and techniques.