Clinical evaluation of a novel suture anchor for rotator cuff repairs – ATOK Anchor

Repair of rotator cuff tear using an arthroscopic technique, utilizing a new anchor to secure the transosseous sutures to the lateral humeral cortex. The repair will idealy performed using an arthroscopic however a mini-open approach may be utilised if there is inadequate visualisation, or concerns about seating of the implant. The novel anchor to be used is the Arthroscopic Trans-Osseous Knotless (ATOK) anchor. Generally 2 anchors are used. The procedure will be performed under a general anaesthetic and by an orthopaedic surgeon, who is the principal investigator. The procedure is anticipate to take between 30 and 60 minutes and will where appropriate be combined with an acromioplasty, or lateral clavicle excision. The anchor is inserted percutaneously through the lateral arm muscle and into the humeral cortex. The suture are passed and secured using the locking plug. There are no exactly similar studies on such a challenging group of patients, however, changes in outcome scores and displacement of anchors based on MRI review are the critical review end points. The patients will undergo the surgery between July 2015 and July 2016, with assessment of anchor position at 1 and 6 months, tendon healing at 6 months, and functional outcomes progressively from 3 months out to 2 years.