Repair of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: a Biomechanical Analysis of Footprint Pressure and Strength in an Ovine Model

INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, repair of undersurface partial thickness rotator cuff tears involved completion of the tear to a full thickness tear and subsequent repair of the tendon with single or double row anchors. Recently, new anchors have been developed to facilitate an in situ transtendon repair of undersurface partial thickness tears, avoiding the need to complete the tear. The purpose of this study was to determine if transtendon repair had enhanced mechanical properties compared with tear completion and repair. We hypothesized that transtendon repair would have better footprint contact pressure and a higher failure load than both single and double row repair.