Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients over 75 Years of Age: Clinical Outcome and Repair Integrity

BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown significant functional improvement after rotator cuff (RC) repair in elderly patients. However, few studies have reported the healing potential of RC tears in elderly patients. METHODS: Twenty-five patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent RC repair were enrolled. The mean age at the time of surgery was 78.3 years (range, 75 to 88 years) while the mean follow-up was 36.3 months (range, 18 to 114 months). We evaluated clinical and structural outcomes after RC repair in the retear and healed groups. RESULTS: = 0.001; OR, 0.183; 95% CI, 0.048 to 0.692 for small to medium tears). CONCLUSIONS: There were significant improvements in clinical outcomes after RC repair in patients ≥ 75 years. Structural integrity after cuff repair did not affect the final clinical outcome. Even in elderly patients aged ≥ 75 years, healing of repaired RC can be expected in cases of small to medium tears. Although the retear rate was relatively high for large to massive tears, clinical outcomes still showed significant improvement.