Latissimus dorsi tendon transfer for treatment of irreparable posterosuperior rotator cuff tears: long-term results at a minimum follow-up of ten years.

Background: Transfer of the latissimus dorsi tendon to the greater tuberosity of the humerus for treatment of an irreparable rotator cuff tear has been reported to yield good-to-excellent short to intermediate-term results in well-selected patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of such transfers for irreparable posterosuperior rotator cuff tears to determine the durability of the results and to identify risk factors for an unfavorable outcome.

Methods: Fifty-seven shoulders in fifty-five patients (seventeen women and thirty-eight men with a mean age of fifty-six years) were managed with latissimus dorsi tendon transfer.