[Clinical and functional course of patients after arthroscopic repair of a Bankart lesion].

OBJECTIVE

Show the experience of the Orthopedics Service at Lic. Adolfo López Mateos Regional ISSSTE Hospital, in the management of anterior unidirectional shoulder instability with an arthroscopic technique consisting of reattaching the labrum in the glenoid with anchored sutures and capsular tightening with radiofrequency.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Twenty-six patients with anterior unidirectional shoulder instability who were operated-on between August 2006 and November 2008 were included. Twelve patients underwent capsular retightening with radiofrequency and in 14 patients the latter was combined with sutured anchors. The patients selected had a history of relapsing glenohumeral dislocations and subluxations with anterior instability, with or without associated Bankart lesions, and all of them were young.

RESULTS

The results were assessed basically with the functional UCLA scale and considering the occurrence of any instability-related event during the postoperative follow-up; from this perspective, there were no cases of recurrent instability. Two cases reported severe postoperative pain, and one had irritation of the sutures; 6 patients had residual limitation of combined lateral rotation and abduction movements, with a mean of 10 degrees compared with the sound contralateral limb. The most frequent incident was infiltration of solutions into the soft tissues due to the operative time.

CONCLUSIONS

Capsular retightening with radiofrequency, whether combined or not with other repair techniques, has proven highly satisfactory from the perspective of the glenohumeral stabilization for anterior unidirectional instability. The arthroscopic approach offers the known advantages of being less aggressive to the soft tissues and a shorter time to resume work activities when rehabilitation therapy and exercises are followed.