Treatment of Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tear
It is an option to perform partial rotator cuff repair, debridement, or muscle transfers for patients with irreparable rotator cuff tears when surgery is indicated.

Rationale
Five Level IV 99-103 studies addressed the use of operative debridement, limited repair, or muscle transfer for an irreparable rotator cuff tear. These studies found an improvement in pain and function after repair of a portion of a chronic full thickness rotator cuff tear when a complete repair can not be achieved.99 They also found clinically important improvement with arthroscopic debridement without partial repair of the rotator cuff with or without release of the long head of the biceps102 and improvement in pain and function with transfer of the latissimus or teres major for irreparable tears involving the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons.100 Comparative studies on the superiority of one surgical technique or option over another for surgical management of irreparable full thickness rotator cuff tears have not been reported. All studies reported intermediate term results 3-4 years after surgical treatment. Long term results were not reported. Complications reported after muscle transfer include temporary Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and cosmetic deformity of the biceps.