If the patient decides on non-operative treatment, physicians should routinely monitor their tear size, especially if they remain symptomatic, say the study authors. They examined 61 rotator cuff tears, and after a two-year follow-up, 49 percent of the tears increased in size.
For 25 percent of the shoulders, a new full-thickness rotator cuff tear was diagnosed at the follow-up. There was no correlation between the change in tear size and the age of the patient or the existence of a prior trauma.
Read the abstract on rotator cuff tears.
Read other coverage on rotator cuffs:
– AAOS: Guideline and Recommendations on Rotator Cuff Repair
– Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: Great Outcomes for Patients Over 70
– AOSSM: PRP Ineffective for Rotator Cuff Healing
