Biomechanical Effects of Latissimus Dorsi Tendon Transfer in Irreparable Massive Rotator Cuff Tear - A human cadaveric study us

A human cadaveric study using anatomy based muscle loading testing apparatus Oh JH ([email protected]), McGarry MH, Tilan JU, Chen YJ, Chung KC, Lee TQ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, VA Long Beach Healthcare System and University of California, Irvine [email protected] INTRODUCTION The treatment of massive RCT remains a challenge as options must address each patient’s desired activity level as well as the severity of the rotator cuff pathology. Latissimus dorsi tendon transfer (LDT), introduced by Gerber et al in 1988, is one of the surgical options available for irreparable massive RCT. While several authors reported favorable outcomes of this salvage procedure, clinical outcomes as a whole remain unpredictable and vary among patients. To date, there have been few biomechanical studies regarding LDT; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the biomechanical effects of LDT in a cadaveric model of massive irreparable posterosuperior RCT.