We report the results of arthroscopic subacromial decompression and debridement of the rotator cuff for chronic small- and medium-sized tears in 114 patients (118 shoulders) between two and five years after surgery. The mean Constant score was improved to 69.8, and 88 shoulders (74.6%) had a satisfactory outcome. Of patients under the age of 60 years the outcome was satisfactory in 59.3%, and in those over 60 years, in 87.5% (p <
0.001). An unsatisfactory outcome was related to manual work (p <
0.001) and a duration of symptoms of more than 12 months (p <
0.05). The outcome was not related to the size of the tear, the