Assessment of the effectiveness of surgical treatment of patients with massive ruptures of rotator cuff tendons using latissimus dorsi tendon transposition

Rotator cuff ruptures are the most common injuries of shoulder joint with an incidence of about 20 %. This pathology is more common in adults over 60 years of age because it is caused by degenerative changes in the tendon. Massive injuries account for 10–40 % of all rotator cuff injuries. Currently, there is no unified surgical tactics for the treatment of patients with massive ruptures of rotator cuff tendons.
The aim. To assess the efficiency of transposition of the latissimus dorsi tendon in patients with massive ruptures of the rotator cuff tendon.
Materials and methods. The study included 15 patients with Patte stage III massive ruptures of the rotator cuff who had transposition of the latissimus dorsi tendon.
Results. The article presents clinical cases of surgical treatment of patients. The following criteria were assessed: mean age; time since injury; duration of the surgery; blood loss volume; functional results by the ASES (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons) Shoulder Score. Taking into account the ASES Shoulder Score indicators 1 year after the surgical treatment, the following results were obtained: excellent results – in 9 (53.3 %) cases; good results – in 1 (13.4 %) case; satisfactory results – in 5 (33.3 %) cases.
Conclusion. When preserving the articular cartilage, the method of choice in the treatment of patients with massive ruptures of rotator cuff tendons is transposition of the latissimus dorsi tendon. At the same time, an incomplete restoration of the function of the injured limb was registered in 33.3 % of patients, which requires further study and modification of the known method of transposition of the latissimus dorsi tendon.

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