What question did this study set out to answer?

To review the historical evolution of surgical management strategies for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.

November 20, 2025Shoulder & ElbowOpen Access

A historical review: Surgical management of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears

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Historical review highlights surgical innovations in managing massive irreparable rotator cuff tears, suggesting diverse treatment methods.

To review the historical evolution of surgical management strategies for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.
Conducted a historical narrative review based on systematic searches of PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase.
Examined major surgical innovations including open repair, tendon transfers, debridement, superior capsular reconstruction, subacromial spacers, and reverse shoulder arthroplasty.
Open repairs had limited success for chronic massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.
Subacromial decompression and debridement provided symptom relief for low-demand patients.
Tendon transfers emerged as joint-preserving strategies in specific cases.

Zhou et al. (2025) studied this question.

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Historical review highlights surgical innovations in managing massive irreparable rotator cuff tears, suggesting diverse treatment methods.