Endoscopic Management of Gluteus Medius Tendon Tears

Tears in the gluteus medius and minimus tendons have been recognized as an important cause of recalcitrant greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Because of the frequency of partial-thickness undersurface tears, this relatively unknown pathology is often misdiagnosed and left untreated. Surgery is indicated in case of 4 associated conditions: (i) Failure of conservative treatment with duration of symptoms > 6 months; (ii) magnetic resonance imaging showing a tendon tear; (iii) positive ultrasound-guided infiltration test; and (iv) the absence of an evolved fatty degeneration or atrophy of the gluteus medius and minimus muscle. Endoscopic repair of partial or full-thickness tears, with systematic resection of the bony structures implicated in the impingement, and a complete bursectomy appear to give satisfactory results, although these results remain to be confirmed by clinical studies with longer follow-up. The degree of tendon degeneration may compromise the tissue left for reattachment, raising concerns over its healing capacity, durability, and ultimate strength of the repair.