The Four-in-One Arthroplasty for the Painful Arc Syndrome

The painful arc syndrome of the shoulder is a manifestation of rotator cuff tendinitis associated with tenosynovitis of the long head of the biceps under and just distal to the transverse humeral ligament. Eighty-nine patients with clinical signs of the painful arc syndrome were proven to have an associated biceps tenosynovitis by arthrography and at surgical treatment. The four-in-one arthroplasty consists of: (1) excision of the coracoacromial ligament; (2) acromioclavicular arthroplasty; (3) excision of the anterior inferior area of the acromion process; and (4) transfer and tenodesis of the long head of the biceps. The operation decompresses the acromial arch and also eliminates the biceps tenosynovitis by tenodesis. Almost invariably, there was relief of pain within four to five months of postoperative rehabilitation, and at an average follow-up of two to eight years.