Rotator Full-Thickness Tears

Warth RJ, Doman GJ, James EW, Horan MP, Millett PJ (2015) Clinical and structural outcomes after arthroscopic repair of full-thickness rotator cufi tears with and without platelet-rich product supplementation a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Arthroscopy 31 306-320... 

The classification of rotator cuff tears is somewhat confusing because different terms have been inappropriately used with the same meaning. In an effort to better understand the type of tendon tear and to standardize the observations of various examiners, the rotator cuff should be thought of in a three-dimensional view. A tear must be considered incomplete when it involves only a part of the tendon width on short-axis planes (Fig. 6.68a,b). Incomplete tears may be in turn subdivided into partial-thickness (Fig. 6.68a) or full-thickness (Fig. 6.68b) types depending on whether they result in an abnormal communication of the glenohumeral joint and the... 

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