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BOSTON, MA - On Thursday, March 9, 2006 at 4:30 p.m., Brigham and Women's Hospital broadcasted a live arthroscopic rotator cuff repair - a procedure that preserves the deltoid attachment and results in improved patient outcomes and faster recovery time. Laurence D. Higgins, MD, Chief of Sports Medicine and Chief of the Shoulder Service within the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Brigham and  MORE...

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BOSTON, MA - On Thursday, March 9, 2006 at 4:30 p.m., Brigham and Women's Hospital broadcasted a live arthroscopic rotator cuff repair - a procedure that preserves the deltoid attachment and results in improved patient outcomes and faster recovery time. Laurence D. Higgins, MD, Chief of Sports Medicine and Chief of the Shoulder Service within the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, performed the procedure, while Brigham and Women's Hospital orthopedic surgeon Scott D. Martin, MD, narrated during the webcast.

A tear of the rotator cuff is a common injury that often leads to pain and sometimes weakness in the shoulder and upper arm. Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair uses a small camera to view and guide repair of the rotator cuff. This approach enables surgeons to preserve attachment of the deltoid - a large muscle in the shoulder - and results in faster recovery time with less inflammation, discomfort, and scarring. Patients also generally experience better range-of-motion and accelerated rehabilitation.

Laurence D. Higgins, MD, Chief of Sports Medicine and Chief of the Shoulder Service within the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, performed the procedure. Orthopedic surgeon Scott D. Martin, MD, narrated the webcast, which included an overview of pre- and post-surgical considerations, patient candidacy, and risks and benefits of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Scott D. Martin, MD, said, "Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is minimally invasive and decreases operation time compared to other rotator cuff procedures. There's also less pain after the surgery, more rapid restoration of motion, and easier rehabilitation. Pain relief and functional results of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair are equivalent to open repair with an important difference - there's no risk of the serious complication of deltoid muscle detachment."