Recent advances in arthroscopic repair of traumatic anterior glenohumeral instability

Traumatic anterior instability is the most common type of glenohumeral instability. Although surgical treatment with an open technique has produced excellent results, there has been a trend toward arthroscopic treatment. As understanding of instability advances along with improvements in surgical techniques and instrumentation, arthroscopic results are fast approaching those seen with open procedures. Studies done at the authors' institution showed a 97% satisfactory outcome at short-term followup with 93% stable shoulders in a patient population with high physical demands. Others recently reported similar results. As more surgeons become familiar with the techniques, it is thought that arthroscopic Bankart reconstructions will be the preferred method in the future.