3D model · Shoulder

Rotator Cuff Tear 3D Model | EMET Education

Reproduce your patient's rotator cuff lesions during the visit, and show in 3D the treatment you recommend. They leave with their model on their phone.

Customize the lesions

Opens in your browser, no sign-up. For orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologists, sports medicine physicians, physiatrists, radiologists and primary care physicians.

The patient understandsTheir lesions, reproduced from their imaging, on a model they handle themselves.
Reassured, ready to decideThey review the proposed procedure at home before giving consent.
Documented informationVisit saved and dated: a record of the information you provided.
In their language🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇷🇺

How it works

In the visit, in three steps

Structured information in a few minutes, which the patient can review at home.

1
Show

Open the model and walk through the anatomy: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis, long head of the biceps, subacromial space.
2
Reproduce

Set the lesions from the ultrasound or MRI: full- or partial-thickness tear, calcification, subscapularis, long head of the biceps, acromion shape. Then walk through the proposed treatment, step by step.
3
Share

Give the patient the QR code or an image: they find their own case, in their language.

Features

Explain in detail during the visit

Every setting updates the model live: you reproduce the lesions from your patient's imaging in front of them, then walk through the treatment you recommend.

The lesions, described in a few clicks

The “Pathology & lesions” panel describes the cuff tendon by tendon, the long head of the biceps and the subacromial space. Lesions add up, and each one changes the model in front of the patient.

Supraspinatus retraction, in three stages

Non-retracted tear (1), stump at the top of the humeral head (2), retraction to the glenohumeral joint line (3). The enthesis tears with a jagged edge, then the tendon retracts; the exposed footprint appears on the greater tuberosity.

Model panel: supraspinatus, full-thickness tear, stage 2. — **Stage 1** · non-retracted

Non-retracted full-thickness supraspinatus tear (stage 1): the jagged tendon edge against the exposed footprint. — **Stage 1** · non-retracted

The treatment, step by step

Five procedures, played step by step, continuously or one step at a time: supraspinatus repair (lateral tension band, suture bridge or SpeedBridge, with shaver completion of a partial-thickness tear), acromioplasty, biceps tenodesis, removal of a calcification, subacromial injection.

Suture bridge repair

Two medial anchors, mattress stitches, medial row tied, crossed bridge over two lateral anchors.

Suture bridge repair, step 2: mattress stitches passed through the tendon. — 2Mattress stitches

Suture bridge repair, step 3: medial row tied, the tendon reduced onto the footprint. — 3Medial row tied

Suture bridge repair, step 4: limbs crossed in an X, secured in the lateral anchors. — 4Crossed bridge

Acromioplasty

Resection of the osteophytic spur, then an inferolateral bevel: the hooked acromion becomes flat again.

Acromioplasty, step 2: the osteophyte shaved, the undersurface brought back to flat. — 2Osteophyte shaved

Acromioplasty, step 3: the lateral edge shaved into a bevel, front view. — 3Acromion shaved

Biceps tenodesis

Anchor at the floor of the groove, tendon fixed, intra-articular portion resected.

Biceps tenodesis, step 2: the tendon placed back in the groove and tied over the anchor. — 2Tendon fixed

Biceps tenodesis, step 3: the intra-articular portion removed, a short stump on the glenoid. — 3Part removed

Subacromial injection

Needle in the inflamed bursa, injection, the inflammation settles.

Subacromial injection, step 2: the medication spreads through the bursa, the inflammation settles. — 2Injection

Subacromial injection, step 3: the needle removed, the bursa calm. — 3Needle removed

After the visit

The patient leaves with their 3D model

They scan the QR code: the model, their findings and the proposed treatment follow them on their phone, in their language.

The model, exactly as you set it

At the end of the visit, the Consultation panel shows the anatomical findings, the proposed treatment and a QR code. The patient scans it and finds the model on their phone exactly as you set it, in their language.

Their lesions, and the proposed treatment to replay step by step.
Their anatomical findings and the explanatory card.
No identifying data in the link.

Patient view on a phone: the shoulder after suture bridge repair, and the “The proposed treatment” panel open: rotator cuff repair with suture bridge, “Replay” button. — What the patient sees after scanning the QR code

Every structure explains itself on tap

Tap a tendon, the bursa, the footprint or an anchor: its name and an explanation appear.

One explanation per structure: tendons, muscles, bursa, acromion, anchors, sutures.
Written for the patient, in their language.
They can reread it on their own, on the tablet or at home.

Explanation bubble “Exposed footprint” shown after tapping the greater tuberosity uncovered by the tear. — “What is this?” on tap

They can replay the treatment step by step

From “The proposed treatment,” the patient replays the procedure: each step plays at their own pace, with its explanation, as often as they like.

Patient view on a phone: the suture bridge repair replayed step by step. — “Replay”: the procedure, step by step

Try it with your next case: the model opens in your browser, nothing to install.

Customize the lesions

Patient information

Quality information, documented

Only 12% of U.S. adults have proficient health literacy (National Assessment of Adult Literacy). A patient who sees their own lesions and the proposed procedure understands them, gives truly informed consent, and approaches treatment with confidence.

For the patient

They see their own lesions, reproduced from their imaging, and how the proposed treatment unfolds. They leave with the same material and can review it at home, with their family, as often as they like, before giving consent.

For the physician

Each visit created with an account keeps a record of the information provided: what was shown, when, and whether the patient reviewed it. The model image, with the anatomical findings, the proposed treatment and the QR code, downloads for the patient's chart and prints. Informed consent, as the Joint Commission puts it, is more than getting a signature.

Saved and datedThe exact state of the model: injuries shown, treatment proposed.
Identical, archivableThe patient receives what you showed; the image goes in the chart and prints.
TrackedEach time the patient opens the link is recorded.
AnonymousThe link given to the patient carries no identifying data.

“Document the informed consent conversation and the patient’s (or surrogate’s) decision in the medical record in some manner.”

AMA Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.1.1, Informed Consent

The model supports the consent conversation and the written consent form; it does not replace them. Data and privacy: legal information (in French).

Questions

Questions from colleagues

Is the model free?

Partly: the model and most of the lesions are free. Treatments (repair, acromioplasty, tenodesis, injection) and other features are paid options.

Do I need an account?

Not to open the model, set the lesions and walk through the treatment. After about fifteen adjustments, you will be asked to create a free account: it saves your visits, picks them up from one time to the next, and records when the patient opens the link.

What equipment do I need?

Just a web browser, nothing to install: computer, tablet or TV screen in the exam room; the patient opens it on their phone. One click saves an image, without the interface, for the chart.

What happens to patient data?

No patient names are stored. The link given to the patient carries only the state of the model: lesions, treatment, language and visit date. A name written on the image you hand out stays on that image.

Is it a medical device?

No: it is an educational tool. It does not diagnose, does not plan surgery, and does not replace the consent conversation or the written consent form. Among software functions that are not medical devices, the FDA lists those intended for general patient education and interactive anatomy diagrams used for training.

How long does it take in clinic?

Three adjustments and one procedure played: a few minutes, during the visit. The patient reviews it at home, as often as they like.

Can the shoulder be moved?

Yes: the arm rises to 30° of abduction with 40° of internal rotation, where the greater tuberosity passes under the acromion. Every tendon follows the motion; with a hooked acromion or an increased critical shoulder angle, a red marker shows where the supraspinatus is compressed.

What if I don't operate?

The model is first a way to explain the lesions: each setting can be shown without walking through surgery. Subacromial injection is included too, alongside the surgical procedures.

Can I embed it on my website?

It is planned for upcoming plans: the model displayed on a practice or hospital website, credited to EMET Education.

Which languages?

English, Spanish, French and Russian. The patient receives the model in the language chosen during the visit, which helps with the roughly 28 million people in the U.S. with limited English proficiency, alongside a qualified interpreter, not instead of one.

Design

Who designed this model

Model designed by Dr. Mikaël Chelli, orthopedic surgeon, based on the reference classifications. Updated October 1, 2026.

Patte D. Classification of rotator cuff lesions. Clin Orthop Relat Res, 1990.
Lafosse L. et al. Structural integrity and clinical outcomes after arthroscopic repair of isolated subscapularis tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2007.
Calcification classification of the French Arthroscopy Society: Molé D. et al., Rev Chir Orthop, 1993.
Bigliani L.U., Morrison D.S., April E.W. The morphology of the acromion and its relationship to rotator cuff tears. Orthop Trans, 1986.
Moor B.K. et al. Critical shoulder angle. Bone Joint J, 2013.

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