Drillbone

Drillbone Tunneler

About

A rotator cuff tear is a common pathology that develops due to trauma or degenerative changes. About 6.8% to 22.4% of people over the age of 40 experience a rotator cuff tear. Since the shoulder joint is complex and the most mobile in the human body, restoring full range of motion and muscle strength after rotator cuff repair surgery is often a long and challenging rehabilitation process. Therefore, surgical methods are constantly being improved to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes.

One of the innovative tools to enhance surgical interventions for rotator cuff tears is the “Drillbone Tunneler” instrument, designed for transosseous rotator cuff surgical treatment. For some time, the transosseous method for shoulder rotator cuff surgery was not used because the arthroscopic suture anchor method provided better results, reducing postoperative stiffness and deltoid muscle insufficiency. Unfortunately, the arthroscopic suture anchor technique did not improve clinical outcomes.

Biomechanical research is ongoing to further improve the suture anchor surgical technique for better post-operative clinical results. However, the main problem remains that anchors are foreign materials to our bodies, preventing full biological healing.

The arthroscopic transosseous technique solves the issues of previous surgical techniques. This surgical method requires a special tool, the Drillbone Tunneler, which creates a small tunnel for performing the arthroscopic transosseous technique. This technique allows for a larger area to be covered and better pressure distribution across the treatment site. There is less micromovement at the tendon-to-bone attachment site, improving blood circulation in the area, leading to more natural and faster healing.

A scientific study (Plachel F., et al., 2019) examining the healing results of the arthroscopic transosseous technique 12-18 years after surgery showed, through magnetic resonance imaging, that the integrity of the rotator cuff positively affects clinical outcomes.

Advantages

• Faster postoperative healing
• Less postoperative pain
• Rehabilitation can start sooner

Scientific Articles

1. John E. Kuhn. Prevalence, Natural History, and Nonoperative Treatment of Rotator Cuff Disease. Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine. Volume 31, Issue 1, 2023; ISSN 1060-1872. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otsm.2023.150978
2. Plachel F, Traweger A, Vasvary I, et al. Long-term results after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2019;28:706-714. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jse.2018.09.003
3. Srikumaran U, Huish EG Jr, Shi BY, Hannan CV, Ali I, Kilcoyne KG. Anchorless Arthroscopic Transosseous and Anchored Arthroscopic Transosseous Equivalent Rotator Cuff Repair Show No Differences in Structural Integrity or Patient-reported Outcomes in a Matched Cohort. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2020 Jun;478(6):1295-1303. DOI:10.1097/CORR.0000000000001151
4. Castagna A, Gumina S, Garofalo R, Mantovani M, Kany J, Chillemi C. Technique for a Novel Arthroscopic Transosseous Rotator Cuff Repair, Techniques in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery. 2019 March 20(1);12-  DOI:10.1097/BTE.0000000000000159