Rotator cuff repairs in patients 62 years of age or older

We retrospectively reviewed 105 consecutive patients aged 62 years and older who had undergone a repair of a rotator cuff tear to evaluate the efficacy of this surgery in patients in this age range. Six patients died, and 7 had less than 2 years of follow-up or were incapable of returning for examination. Ninety-two patients with 97 rotator cuff tears were re-examined. The average preoperative UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) score was 12.9 (range 8 to 20), and the average postoperative score was 32.4 (range 12 to 35). Five patients (5%) had failure of the repair, accounting for the poor results. Severe complications included infection (1 patient) and brachial plexus stretch injury (1 patient). Four additional patients sustained minor complications, for an overall rate of 6%. Overall, 87% of patients had good or excellent results. Eight additional patients, while satisfied, were classified as fair. Of the 5 failures, 3 were revised to a satisfactory result. Thus 90 of the 92 patients in the study were satisfied with the result of the surgery at final follow-up. Rotator cuff repair in patients 62 years and older results in increased function, decreased pain, and satisfactory results. (J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2001;10:97-9.)