Marnix van Holsbeeck,ll MD

High clinical success rates for rotator cuff repairs have been well documented with open repair techniques.3,10 Furthermore, these results do not appear to deteriorate with longer follow-up.6 Gradually, an arthroscopic acromioplasty and mini-open repair have replaced the traditional open approach.1,2,15,20 More recently, the role of arthroscopy has continued to expand, and complete arthroscopic repairs have become very popular. The potential advantages of the arthroscopic method include glenohumeral joint inspection and treatment of intra-articular lesions, avoidance of deltoid avulsions and necrosis, decreased perioperative pain, easier restoration of motion, smaller incisions with improved cosmesis, and shorter rehabilitation time. Initial reports of arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs involved the use of suture anchors in a single-row, simple-sutur