Equivalent Clinical Results of Arthroscopic Single-Row and Double-Row Suture Anchor Repair for Rotator Cuff Tears

<jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>Restoring the anatomical footprint may improve the healing and mechanical strength of repaired tendons. A double row of suture anchors increases the tendon-bone contact area, reconstituting a more anatomical configuration of the rotator cuff footprint.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Hypothesis</jats:title><jats:p>There is no difference in clinical and imaging outcome between single-row and double-row suture anchor technique repairs of rotator cuff tears.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Study Design</jats:title><jats:p>Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>The authors recruited 60 patients. In 30 patients, rotator cuff repair was performed with a single-row suture anchor technique (group 1). In the other 30 patients, rotator cuff repair was performed with a double-row suture anchor technique (group 2).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Eight patients (4 in the single-row anchor repair group and 4 in the double-row anchor repair group) did not return at the final follow-up. At the 2-year follow-up, no statistically significant differences were seen with respect to the University of California, Los Angeles score and range of motion values. At 2-year follow-up, postoperative magnetic resonance arthrography in group 1 showed intact tendons in 14 patients, partial-thickness defects in 10 patients, and full-thickness defects in 2 patients. In group 2, magnetic resonance arthrography showed an intact rotator cuff in 18 patients, partial-thickness defects in 7 patients, and full-thickness defects in 1 patient.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>Single- and double-row techniques provide comparable clinical outcome at 2 years. A double-row technique produces a mechanically superior construct compared with the single-row method in restoring the anatomical footprint of the rotator cuff, but these mechanical advantages do not translate into superior clinical performance.</jats:p></jats:sec>