Results of the Latarjet coracoid bone block procedure performed by mini invasive approach

The coracoid block technique described by Latarjet was modified by Patte and Walch in order to increase the glenoid surface. Saragaglia further modified this technique and described a minimally invasive approach which allows faster post-operative recovery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the medium-term functional and radiological results of this technique.

This is a single surgeon cohort of 40 shoulders in 38 patients (32 men, 6 women) with an average age of 34.5 years operated on between January and December 2014. The skin incision was 3 to 6 cm long allowing the bony block to be passed under the subscapularis tendon without sectioning it and to be placed in lying position. The bone block was fixed with a 6.5 cancellous screw or a 7.0 cannulated screw.

At an average follow-up of 48 months, there were no recurrent dislocations. The average WOSI score was 42, the average Constant score was 95 corrected to 97% and the average SSV was 97. Visual analogue scores were 0 at rest and 0.6 with activity. The bone block healed in 92.5% of cases. It was flush with the edge of the glenoid in 84% of cases, lateralised in 10% and medialised in 6% of cases. Mean internal rotation power was 12 kg in the operated shoulder compared with 9 kg in the non-operated shoulder.

The treatment of recurrent anterior shoulder instability by mini invasive Latarjet gives excellent medium-term functional results. The rate of recurrent dislocation in this series was zero and internal rotation power was well preserved. This is an excellent alternative to arthroscopic procedures which are yet to demonstrate their superiority over open surgery.