[Surgical treatment of painful shoulders caused by lesions of the rotator cuff and biceps, treatment as a function of lesions. Reflections on the Neer's concept].

On the basis of their clinical and surgical experience of 480 shoulders operated upon for rotator cuff pathology, together with a review of the literature, the authors undertake a critical analysis of the Neer impingement syndrome. Since this syndrome cannot explain all lesions and above all cover all rotator cuff pathology, they suggest an anatomical classification based upon a description of lesions. They describe their indications for surgery on the basis of their results and of those from the literature.