The Rotator Cuff Footprint in Filipinos: A Cadaveric Study.

INTRODUCTION

Rotator cuff tears are one of the common etiologies of shoulder pain. Rotator cuff repair is recommended for a patient who failed conservative treatment. Proper knowledge of the rotator cuff footprint is needed in restoring correct anatomy during the repair. The size of the footprint is important in determining the kind of repair.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to define the average measurements of the rotator cuff footprint on the humerus in Filipino cadavers.

METHODS

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study of preserved human cadaver upper extremity specimens. We measured the length, width, and shape of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor.

RESULTS

We obtained 27 upper extremity specimens. The median age of the source cadavers was 50.5 years with the equal male-to-female distribution. The mean measurement of the supraspinatus is 22.92 mm in length and 10.17 mm in width. The shape of the supraspinatus was found to be trapezoidal. The infraspinatus length was found to be 17.20 mm and the width at 10.72 mm. Its shape was found to be trapezoidal. The teres minor length was measured at 15.15 mm and the width at 11.04 mm. The shape was mostly trapezoidal but some were triangular. Finally, the subscapularis length was 17.68 mm while the width was 11.26 mm. The shape was trapezoidal or comma-shaped.

CONCLUSION

The average measurement of the rotator cuff footprint was found to be smaller in our study than reported in terms of length and width. The footprint shape was similar to the studies reported.