We compared the clinical results and duration of the surgery between arthroscopic and open repair for rotator cuff tears. Ten shoulders of 10 patients (7 males, mean age 61.5 years old) with complete rotator cuff tear (5 small and 5 medium tears) were repaired by open surgery. In the open technique, the deltoid muscle was temporarily detached from the acromion and the tear was repaired by PanalokTM RC anchors. In another ten shoulders of 10 patients (5 males, mean age 59.8 years old), the cuff tear was repaired arthroscopically by FastinTM anchors. The mean follow-up period was 16.7 (14-21) months for open repair and 8 (5-12) months for arthroscopic repair. The clinical results were assessed by JOA score. The mean postoperative JOA scores were 95.1 (92-98) in open surgery and 93.6 (85-100)in arthroscopic procedure (no significant difference). The mean durations of surgery were 87 (40-145) minutes for open surgery and 192 (130-270) minutes for arthroscopic repair. Arthroscopic repair was minimally invasive, but required longer surgical time.
