抄録
A follow-up study was performed on 11 patients who had undergone surgical repair of rotator cuff tears. The patients included 6 males and 5 females ranging in age from 43 to 69 years (average, 57 years). McLaughlin's method was used for 9 joints and direct suturing for 3. The follow-up period ranged from 19 to 89 months (average, 47 months). Pain, range of motion in the shoulder joint, and function were evaluated by direct physical examination. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association's (JOA) scoring system was used to clinically evaluate the results. All patients showed a marked improvement upon final examination, with an average score of 92.0 as compared with 42.5 preoperatively. The scores increased from 8.8 to 26.7 points for pain, from 12.8 to 25.8 for range of motion points and from 6.2 to 19.5 points for function. Based on these results, we conclude that surgical repair is an effective method for treating rotator cuff tears.
