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The Role of the Suprascapular Nerve in the Failed Rotator Cuff Repair

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The Failed Rotator Cuff

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Abstract

In massive cuff tears or failed repairs, the significant tendon retraction changes the angle of the suprascapular nerve (SSN) course at the suprascapular notch. The SSN entrapment and compression lead to neuropathy. The main objectives facing the challenge of a patient with a failed rotator cuff repair are to decrease pain and recover shoulder function. In this setting, the role of a suprascapular nerve release is controversial, but there is evidence that the procedure may be worth it for improving outcomes.

The purposes of this chapter are (1) to define the SSN anatomy at risk during arthroscopic revision rotator cuff repair (ARRCR) and (2) to describe the current level of evidence of the SSN release to improve the results of patients undergoing ARRCR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Argentino de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Guillermo Arce

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  1. Guillermo Arce
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Felix H. Savoie III

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Shoulder and Elbow Reconstructive Surgery Unit, Hospital Universitario Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Universidad Autonoma, Madrid, Spain

    Emilio Calvo

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and UCONN Musculoskeletal Institute, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA

    Augustus D. Mazzocca

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Arce, G. (2021). The Role of the Suprascapular Nerve in the Failed Rotator Cuff Repair. In: Savoie III, F.H., Calvo, E., Mazzocca, A.D. (eds) The Failed Rotator Cuff. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79481-1_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79481-1_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-79480-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-79481-1

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