Surgery is an effective and safe option to treat patients with pectoralis major tendon (PMT) ruptures, generally demonstrating a low risk of re-rupture and complications, according to research presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting in Toronto.

“At final follow-up with patients at an average of 71 days post-operation, 114 of 120 (95 percent) were able to return to their occupation at full capacity,” notes corresponding author Michelle T. Sugi, MD, MPH, from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “We also only identified three instances of failed repair, which is notable for a study group of this size.”

The study was performed at a multi-surgeon, multi-center community based integrated health system. Surgical repair techniques included suture anchors, sutures through bone tunnels, suture button, end-to-end suture repair, and a biotenodesis screw. Of 120 patients who reached final follow-up, 17 (13 percent) suffered from a complication, of which the suture end-to-end repair represented the highest percentage (18 percent) of complications of all surgical approaches. Researchers also identified weight lifting as the cause of injuries in 62 percent of the patients studied, trauma in 18 percent, and martial arts in 9 percent.

“These ruptures are relatively uncommon, and we have limited research to understand the best treatment option,” says Sugi. “We hope our research can contribute to a better understanding of who is affected by these injuries, how to treat them, and how to address potential complications.”