Background: The goal of rotator cuff repair is a high initial mechanical stability as a requirement for adequate biological recovery of the tendon-to-bone complex. Notwithstanding the significant increase in publications concerning the topic of rotator cuff repair, there are still controversies regarding surgical technique.
Objectives: The aim of this work is to present an overview of the recently published results of biomechanical and clinical studies on rotator cuff repair using single- and double-row techniques.
Materials and methods: The review is based on a selective literature research of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database on the subject of the clinical and biomechanical results of single- and double-row repair.
Results: In general, neither the biomechanical nor the clinical evidence can recommend the use of a double-row concept for the treatment for every rotator cuff tear. Only tears of more than 3 cm seem to benefit from better results on both imaging and in clinical outcome studies compared with the use of single-row techniques.
Conclusions: Despite a significant increase in publications on the surgical treatment of rotator cuff tears in recent years, the clinical results were not significantly improved in the literature so far. Unique information and algorithms, from which the optimal treatment of this entity can be derived, are still inadequate. Because of the cost-effectiveness and the currently vague evidence, the double-row techniques cannot be generally recommended for the repair of all rotator cuff tears.
Keywords: Arthroscopy; Rotator cuff; Rupture; Suture techniques; Tendon injuries.