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Graft use in the treatment of large and massive rotator cuff tears: an overview of techniques and modes of failure with MRI correlation

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Abstract

Despite technical advances, repair of large or massive rotator cuff tears continues to demonstrate a relatively high rate of failure. Rotator cuff repair or superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) using a variety of commercially available grafts provides a promising option in patients with tears that may be at high risk for failure or otherwise considered irreparable. There are three major graft constructs that exist when utilizing graft in rotator cuff repair or reconstruction: augmentation at the rotator cuff footprint, bridging, and SCR. Each construct has a unique appearance when evaluated using postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and each construct has unique sites that are predisposed to failure. Understanding the basic principles of these constructs can help the radiologist better evaluate the postoperative MRI appearance of these increasingly utilized procedures.

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No external funding was utilized for the published content.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3615, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Kyle R. Duchman, Devin B. Lemmex, Alison P. Toth & Grant E. Garrigues

  2. Proliance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, 510 8th Avenue NE Suite 200, Issaquah, WA, 98029, USA

    Dayne T. Mickelson

  3. OrthoCarolina, 197 Piedmont Boulevard Suite 111, Rock Hill, SC, 29732, USA

    Barrett A. Little

  4. Radsource, 2305 Anderson Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27608, USA

    Thomas W. Hash II

Authors
  1. Kyle R. Duchman
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Correspondence to Kyle R. Duchman.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Duchman, K.R., Mickelson, D.T., Little, B.A. et al. Graft use in the treatment of large and massive rotator cuff tears: an overview of techniques and modes of failure with MRI correlation. Skeletal Radiol 48, 47–55 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-018-3015-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-018-3015-4

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