Can a Double-Row Anchorage Technique Improve Tendon Healing in Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair?

Arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears is now a well-described procedure.2-4,7,12,24,25,29,30 Single-row anchorage tech-niques are generally used with good clinical results. However, Apreleva et al1 showed that single-row repair techniques result in only 67 % of the normal footprint insertion of the supraspinatus tendon onto the greater tuberosity. Previous studies have reported re-tears and incomplete tendon healing after surgery,3,5,7,11,13,15,17,20 despite good clinical results. These problems have led some surgeons to use a double-row anchorage technique (J DeBeer et al, unpub-lished data, 2002),10,19,21 aiming to improve the surface area of the footprint of the supraspinatus tendon on the greater tuberosity. This technique may increase the rate of watertight tendon healing after arthroscopic repair of th