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Case Reports
. 2013 Jan 11:2013:bcr2012007899.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2012-007899.

Autologous tenocyte implantation, a novel treatment for partial-thickness rotator cuff tear and tendinopathy in an elite athlete

Allan W Wang  1 , Stefan Bauer, Matthew Goonatillake, William Breidahl, Ming-Hao Zheng
Affiliations
Case Reports

Autologous tenocyte implantation, a novel treatment for partial-thickness rotator cuff tear and tendinopathy in an elite athlete

Allan W Wang et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Tendinopathy and small partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff tendon are common presentations in sports medicine. No promising treatment has yet been established. Corticosteroid injections may improve symptoms in the short term but do not primarily treat the tendon pathology. Ultrasound-guided autologous tenocyte implantation (ATI) is a novel bioengineered treatment approach for treating tendinopathy. We report the first clinical case of ATI in a 20-year-old elite gymnast with a rotator cuff tendon injury. The patient presented with 12 months of increasing pain during gymnastics being unable to perform most skills. At 1 year after ATI the patient reported substantial improvement of clinical symptoms. Pretreatment and follow-up MRIs were reported and scored independently by two experienced musculoskeletal radiologists. Tendinopathy was improved and the partial-thickness tear healed on 3 T MRI. The patient was able to return to national-level competition.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The pre-autologous tenocyte implantation T2 image (Pre ATI) shows increased tendon thickness with focal signal increase and a 50–100% rim-rent tear of the anterior supraspinatus insertion. Follow-up MRI at 4 months shows reduction of increased tendon thickness and decreased focal signal increase with infill and healing at the tear site. At 10 months there is recurrence of tendinopathy, but at the initial tear site no tear is detectable.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ultrasound-guided autologous tenocyte implantation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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