Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitude of the members of the Flemish Elbow and Shoulder Surgeons Society (FLESSS) towards full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff and their treatment in their daily practice. A survey form was sent to 123 shoulder surgeons between January and March 2008. Seventy-three responses were returned, a 60% response rate. For 40% of the respondents, arthro-CT was the gold standard diagnostic method for assessment, 36% preferred arthro-MRI. Arthroscopic, mini-open and open cuff repair were preferred by 64%, 19% and 16% of the responders respectively. Fewer years in practice, a higher volume of shoulder operations and a higher volume of rotator cuff repairs were significantly correlated with a higher percentage of arthroscopic repairs (p $ 0.001). With respect to the type of fixation, 91% preferred screw-type anchors, and of these 81% were metal anchors. Our results show that all-arthroscopic techniques are becoming the gold standard for the repair of full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff in Flanders.