Recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder. Long-term follow-up of the Putti-Platt and Bankart procedures.

Follow-up of 176 patients among 223 who underwent 232 repairs for recurrent shoulder dislocation (average follow-up, 10.2 years) revealed a recurrence rate of 11%. Among the twenty with recurrence, important factors were youth, athletic activity, inadequate immobilization, a history of contralateral dislocation, and a family history of shoulder dislocation. Redislocation occurred two years or more after operation in seven of the twenty patients with recurrence. Surgical repair permitted good function without significant pain in most cases.