Among the many fun acronyms of the shoulder is the PASTA lesion. PASTA stands for Partial Articular-sided Supraspinatus Tendon Avulsion. It occurs when the undersurface of the supraspinatus tendon tears from the greater tuberosity. This type of tear can only be seen from inside the joint since the outer portion of the tendon is still intact. Although this is not a full thickness tear, it can cause significant pain and weakness of the shoulder. There are arthroscopic options for fixing this problem, allowing for an accelerated recovery.
We can repair these tears arthroscopically using percutaneous anchors. This avoids detaching the intact outer portion of the tendon. In some patients who have diseased or frayed tendon edges, a bovine collagen implant can augment the tendon thickness. The Regeneten patch has been shown to integrate with the native tendon and restore function.