We have repaired 130 chronic cuff tear cases. which could not be repaired conventionally, using Marlex mesh or Teflon felt from 1980. Seven shoulders showed a transient subacromial effusion and 4 patients who had been operated on in other hospitals were reoperated on. This paper describes the indications and limits of this procedure for repairing massive cuff tears retrospeculatively based on clinical results and postoperative MRIs. In the present study,45 shoulders were evaluated by the new JOA score and 34 shoulders had satisfactory functional results. Twenty-one shoulders were imaged postoperatively with an MR. Thirteen had a low or relatively high signal area (T2) at the placed lesion but 8 showed a high intensigy lesion (T2). The operative findings, the factors which caused the unsatisfactory results, were vascularity of the greater tubercle. osteoporotic humeral head and severe degenerative residual cuff tissues. We concluded that vascularity of the greater tubercle and the quality of a torn cuff end effects the results of this lesion.
