Three patients in whom irreparable tears of the subscapularis muscles had been treated with a dynamic muscles transfer of the pectoralis major muscle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical results of this operative procedure.
Two shoulders were traumatic tears, the other was a dialysis shoulder. All patients had remarkable resting pain in the shoulder. The mean range of motion was 124 degrees of flexion, and 33 degrees of external rotation and internal rotation was from buttock to the fourth lumber vertebra. The mean of JOA score was 55 points. At the time of the operation, all shoulders were found to have an irreparable injury of the subscapularis muscle, so we selected a treatment which was the dynamic muscle transfer of the pectoralis major muscle. In a dialysis shoulder, we added replacement of the humeral head because of the remarkable destruction of the shoulder joint. Recurrence of a tear did not occur in any cases. All had no activity related to pain in the shoulder. The averaged JOA score had increased to 88 points after operation.
A dynamic muscle transfer of the pectoralis major muscle was an useful method in patients with irreparable tear of the subscapularis muscle.
