Massive rotator cuff tears which are irreparable in adults without severe gleno-humeral joint osteoarthritis pose a challenging problem. Tendon retraction, muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration often contribute to failure of repair and poor outcomes. Re-tears following primary repairs pose similar challenges. Such rotator cuff tears can be painful and functionally limiting in active individuals. The options for treatment include joint preservation techniques like debridement and subacromial decompression, partial repair, tendon transfers, InSpace balloon insertion and patch augmentation. However, all these procedures have historically led to suboptimal outcomes when compared with complete repair. Joint sacrificing or prosthetic joint replacement options include hemi-arthroplasty and reverse shoulder arthroplasty. These are not always appropriate in young participants with minimal arthritis due to concerns regarding prosthesis failure and the potential need of multiple revision surgeries in the future.
SCR is a more recently introduced technique presenting a viable alternative in this group of participants. This was first described by Hanada et al. and subsequently popularised by Mihata et al. This technique utilises either an autograft such as fascia lata, or dermal allograft to restore the superior capsule and prevent proximal migration of the humeral head. A biomechanical study has shown that SCR restores stability in the superior direction, thereby preventing abrasion and graft failure through subacromial impingement. In a recently published multiple retrospective case series, this technique showed improved functional outcomes whilst reducing pain. A recent retrospective case series of SCR at Wrightington Hospital confirmed the safety profile of this operation. 77% of participants were noted to be pain free post-operatively and were able to return to 'normal activities'. However, there are significant methodological limitations related to such retrospective studies. These studies are either the original work of the proposer of surgery, or retrospective series. Such studies remain limited in terms of wider applicability. National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), UK, has issued guidance highlighting the limitation of quality and quantity of available evidence related to this procedure. The guidance recommends the use of SCR in context of research alone. Recent studies have raised concerns related to incidence of graft failure following SCR. It is unclear what predisposes a certain patient group to graft failure. It has been suggested that addition of an InternalBrace as an additional step during SCR surgery may improve graft healing and reduce graft re-rupture rates. This is known as superior capsular reconstruction with InternalBrace (SCRIB). The investigators propose to perform a prospective study involving clinical (standardised outcome scores) and radiological (MRI scans) outcomes following SCRIB. The Investigators propose to compare graft healing rates following SCRIB versus historical controls where SCR was performed without InternalBrace.
