Open capsular shift and arthroscopic capsular plication for treatment of multidirectional instability

To compare the results of open inferior capsular shift with arthroscopic capsular plication for multidirectional instability in patients without a Bankart lesion. We hypothesized that there is no difference with regard to the specific clinical outcomes evaluated, including recurrent instability, range of motion, return to sport, and complications.

We conducted a comprehensive literature search. Databases searched included PubMed from 1966 to 2010, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Controlled Trials, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) from 1982 to 2010, and SPORTDiscus from 1975 to 2010. Limits included English language, human subjects, and title.

We found 7 articles with a total of 197 patients (219 shoulders) that met our inclusion criteria. The data did not clearly show open treatment to be superior to arthroscopic treatment. No study reported a consistent loss of greater than 40° of external rotation. No technique showed significantly less external rotation loss over the other. Whereas there was a slight trend toward increased return to sport for patients treated arthroscopically, no clear conclusion can be drawn given the variability of reporting in the reviewed studies. Analysis of complications shows that both procedures are reliably safe with minimal complications.

When one is evaluating patients with traumatic or atraumatic onset of shoulder instability in 2 directions and no structural lesions, arthroscopic capsular plication yields comparable results to open capsular shift with regard to recurrent instability, return to sport, loss of external rotation, and overall complications.