Arthroscopic subacromial decompression is the arthroscopic equivalent of the standard open procedure. Although technically demanding, it facilitates early rehabilitation. The rotator cuff is inspected from the articular and bursal side. Initial results in 102 patients with one to three years of follow-up indicate a satisfaction rate of 84% in 67 patients with stage II disease, and 91% in 35 patients with stage III disease. For both stage II and selected stage III cases, 80% of the results were reported as excellent or good on the objective UCLA rating scale.