[Mid-term effectiveness of modified arthroscopic suture button fixation Latarjet procedure for treatment of recurrent anterior shoulder dislocations].

Objective: To summarize mid-term effectiveness of modified arthroscopic suture button fixation Latarjet procedure for treatment of recurrent anterior shoulder dislocations.

Methods: Between January 2018 and October 2020, 30 patients with recurrent anterior shoulder dislocations were treated with modified arthroscopic suture button fixation Latarjet procedure. There were 19 males and 11 females with an average age of 27.3 years (range, 18-41 years). The shoulder dislocation occurred 3-7 times, with an average of 4.9 times. The time from the last dislocation to operation was 3-10 days, with an average of 4.1 days. Glenoid defects exceeded 20% in all cases. There were 27 cases of Hill-Sachs lesions. The joint pain and function were estimated by visual analogue scale (VAS) score, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score, Rowe score, American Association for Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ASES) score, Walch-Duplay score, and the range of external rotation at 0° and external rotation at 90° abduction of shoulder before operation and at 1 month, 6 months, and last follow-up. The X-ray film, CT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction were reviewed to observe the position, healing, and absorption of the coracoid graft, correction of glenoid defect, and joint degeneration.

Results: The operation time ranged from 51 to 79 minutes, with an average of 68.4 minutes. All incisions healed without complications such as nerve or blood vessel injury. All patients were followed up 36-60 months with an average of 44.6 months. The VAS score, UCLA score, Rowe score, ASES score, Walch-Duplay score, and the range of external rotation at 0° and external rotation at 90° abduction after operation significantly improved when compared with preoperative values ( 0.05). All indicators further improved with time, and the differences between different time points after operation were significant ( <0.05). Imaging review showed that the coracoid graft was located in the anteroinferior glenoid at 1 day after operation, and no occurrence of shoulder osteoarthritis was found during follow-up. The anatomical structure of the glenoid was normal, and no delayed healing or non-union of the coracoid graft occurred. At 20 months after operation, arthroscopic re-exploration was performed in 1 case due to fracutre caused by falling injury revealed the good shaping of the coracoid graft, smooth glenoid, and no bone resorption or osteoarthritis.

Conclusion: For recurrent anterior shoulder dislocations, the modified arthroscopic suture button fixation Latarjet procedure can obtain good recovery of shoulder function and low incidence of complications and has a good mid-term effectiveness.