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CompletedNCT07289659Updated Dec 17, 2025

Arthroscopic Repair of Partial Thickness Articular-Side Rotator Cuff Tears: Transtendon Versus Conversion Repair Techniques

An interventional study of Arthroscopic Conversion Repair and Arthroscopic Transtendon Repair in Partial Thickness Articular-Side Rotator Cuff Tears, sponsored by Cairo University. Completed at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-17.

Sponsored by Cairo University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 6 years 1 month after the study started (first participant enrolled Oct 2019, registered Nov 2025).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
54
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This prospective randomized clinical trial compared two arthroscopic techniques for repairing partial-thickness articular-side rotator cuff tears: transtendon repair and conversion repair. Eligible patients with symptomatic tears exceeding 50% of tendon thickness, confirmed by MRI and intraoperative assessment, were randomly assigned to either repair technique. Functional outcomes, range of motion, complications, and MRI healing were assessed up to 24 months postoperatively

02

Conditions studied

  • Partial Thickness Articular-Side Rotator Cuff Tears
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Cairo University is the lead sponsor of 4,780 studies on the registry; 1,427 are open to participants now.

Of its 36 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (14%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients suffering symptomatic PT-RCTs exceeding 50% of the tendon thickness, documented by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and confirmed by arthroscopy intraoperative.
  • Failure of nonoperative management for at least 3 months.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior shoulder surgery.
  • Severe concomitant pathologies including glenohumeral arthritis, advanced subscapularis tear, and biceps tendon rupture.
  • Associated Bankart lesion.
  • Patients with uncontrolled Diabetes mellites.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
54 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Conversion Repair

    Patients with PT-RCTs treated using the arthroscopic conversion technique.

    Procedure: Arthroscopic Conversion Repair

  • Active comparator
    Transtendon Repair

    Patients with PT-RCTs treated using the arthroscopic transtendon repair technique.

    Procedure: Arthroscopic Transtendon Repair

Interventions

  • ProcedureArthroscopic Conversion Repair

    Patients undergo arthroscopic conversion repair, where the partial-thickness tear is converted to a full-thickness tear and repaired using standard arthroscopic techniques.

  • ProcedureArthroscopic Transtendon Repair

    Patients undergo arthroscopic transtendon repair, preserving the intact bursal surface of the tendon while repairing the articular-side defect using suture anchors.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Score

    Time frame: Baseline and 24 months postoperatively

  2. Constant-Murley Score (CMS)

    Time frame: Baseline and 24 months postoperatively

  3. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for Pain

    Time frame: Baseline and 24 months postoperatively

Secondary outcomes

  1. Range of Motion (ROM)

    Measure the range of: 1. Forward flexion 2. Abduction 3. External rotation 4. Internal rotation

    Time frame: Preoperative and 24 months postoperatively.

  2. Complication Rate

    Number of cases with: Stiffness Persistent pain Infection

    Time frame: Up to 24 months postoperatively

  3. MRI Healing Status

    Number of cases with complete healing in MRI

    Time frame: 12 months postoperatively

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Kasr Alainy
    Cairo, Egypt
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 17, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07289659
Lead sponsor
Cairo University
Responsible party
Mahmoud Ahmed El-Desouky (Associate Professor of Orthopedic surgery, Cairo University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 17, 2025
Start date
Oct 1, 2019
Primary completion
Mar 30, 2023
Completion
Mar 30, 2023
Last update
Dec 17, 2025

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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