ARTHROLYSIS OF THE SHOULDER FOR RUPTURES OF THE ROTATOR CUFF

Complete repair of tears of the rotator cuff may be difficult, but wit h superior arthrolysis by the Apoil-Dautry technique the lesion in the cuff is not treated. We report 17 patients who had this procedure for large cuff defects. The outcome is directly related to the duration o f symptoms, and we only had goon results in a few patients, although i ntensive physiotherapy improves function. A wide debridement is needed , followed by intensive physiotherapy for the deltoid and shoulder sta bilising muscles. We recommended that this technique should be used in elderly patients who will put less demand on their shoulders.