Arthroscopy Instead Of Shoulder Replacement: Superior Capsular Reconstruction

Some patients have a rotator cuff tear that is so large that it cannot be repaired.  Often, these patients have had one or more surgeries but the tendons of the rotator cuff have not healed.  We call this situation an "irreparable" rotator cuff tear because the tendon is so badly torn that it cannot be repaired.  In the past, the only solution to this problem was a reverse shoulder replacement.  However, a new technique has gained attention because it has the potential to reconstruct the torn rotator cuff and avoid the need for shoulder replacement.  This is called a "superior capsular reconstruction".  The idea here is to use a graft to replace the rotator cuff.  This procedure can be done through small, arthroscopic incisions using a camera and is done as an outpatient.  I have been performing this procedure for about a year and have been encouraged by my early results.  In this video I show an improved technique for superior capsular reconstruction.