The purpose of this study was to report the surgical procedure and clinical results of the partial repair that we use for treating cases of rotator cuff tears that are untreatable by primary repair. 30 shoulders, which had more than three tendon tears, were selected from 123 shoulders which had a two-year history after operation for massive tendon tears. They were performed according to the partial repair by Burkhart et al. To evaluate the clinical results, the UCLA score was scored and the range of motion and the muscle strength of the patients were measured. Evaluation by MRI was done by measuring the thickness of the belly of the supraspinatus muscle and the anterior fibers of the deltoid muscle, and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus muscle belly. The total score of the UCLA score at 2 years after operation improved significantly to 31.9 points (mean value) (p<0.01), with statistically significant improvement of joint motion and muscle strength (p<0.05, p<0.01). Image assessments by MRI revealed no significant improvement in any of the findings defined above. Although the partial repair was insufficient to improve the tendon itself, it did improve the shoulder function: a high level of patient satisfaction was achieved. Therefore, the partial repair might be a good option for the treatment of irreparable rotator cuff tears.
