Comparing Arthroscopic Bankart repair and Latarjet procedure in treating anterior shoulder instability in high demand patients

Aim of the study: Compare the results of Latarjet operation and Arthroscopic Bankart repair in high demand patients including heavy labour and contact athletes with traumatic anterior shoulder instability. Methodology: Design: This is a prospective study of high demand patients with traumatic anterior shoulder instability selected during the period between February 2019 and July 2020. Thirty patients met the inclusion criteria, half of them underwent arthroscopic bankart repair, while the other half had an open Latarjet surgery. All patients were followed up for at least 6 months. Methods of treatment: A) Arthroscopic Bankart repair procedure & B) Open Latarjet Procedure: Result: The main finding of our study was the time to return to work/sports which was significantly lower in the Latarjet group (5.2 months) compared to the Bankart group (7 months). On the other hand, there was no statistical significance between the rates of return to sports/work in both groups. All patients in our study were assessed according to the Rowe scoring system as regards stability, ROM and function of the shoulder. There was a statistically significant increase in the Rowe score postoperatively with mean score of 84.0 ± 15.83 compared to 27.17± 12.15 preoperatively. However, there was no statistical significant difference in the postoperative ROM and Rowe score between Bankart and Latarjet groups. Conclusion: Both the Latarjet procedure and the arthroscopic Bankart repair revealed satisfactory clinical outcomes with nearly similar rate of return to sports/work in high demand patients with recurrent anterior glenohumeral dislocation. Latarjet procedure is considered more invasive and non-anatomical procedure, however it is less costly with shorter time to return to sports/work compared to Bankart. Evidence-based data support both procedures, thus the personal preference of the surgeon will always play a paramount role in choosing one of these procedures over the other. Keywords: Bankart repair, Latarjet procedure, ...