Biologics in the management of rotator cuff surgery.

Michael E Angeline, Scott A Rodeo

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA.

Clinics in sports medicine 2012 Oct

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The rotator cuff enthesis is not reestablished after a rotator cuff repair. Instead, a scar-mediated healing response occurs at the tendon-bone interface, which is notably weaker than the native enthesis and thus more prone to failure. Biological augmentation through growth factors, AASs, biomimetic scaffolds, or siRNA therapy has the potential to enhance the healing response. The ultimate key, however, is in determining which of these enables a more regenerative healing response of the native tissue rather than enhanced production of scar tissue. In addition, the optimal combination of factors, dosing, and delivery methods remains to be clearly elucidated. Biological augmentation and tissue engineering for tendon healing remains promising, but much work still needs to be done. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.