The repair of chronic massive ruptures of the rotator cuff of the shoulder by use of a freeze-dried rotator cuff.

In sixteen patients with massive tears of the rotator cuff of the shoulder, bridging of the defect with a freeze-dried graft of a rotator cuff from a cadaver produced a satisfactory repair in all cases. A good or excellent functional result was obtained in all but two patients, with a definite decrease or absence of nocturnal pain in all sixteen. The operative technique includes avoidance of a complete acromionectomy and an adequate suture of the deltoid muscle to the acromion after an acromioplasty.