Biceps Brachii Alterations Following the Latarjet Procedure: A Prospective Multicenter Study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Shoulder Instability Research

Background:

• Anterior shoulder instability often requires surgical intervention.
• The Latarjet procedure is a common surgical technique for recurrent anterior shoulder instability.
• Assessing postoperative functional deficits is crucial for patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate postoperative elbow flexion and forearm supination strength after a mini-open Latarjet procedure.
• To investigate the incidence of Popeye deformity following this surgical approach.
• To correlate functional strength outcomes with clinical scores.

Main Methods:

• Prospective evaluation of 20 patients undergoing mini-open Latarjet procedure.
• Measurement of elbow flexion and forearm supination strength using dynamometers at least 6 months post-surgery.
• Assessment of clinical outcomes via Constant Score, ASES, and SST, with specific definition and observation for Popeye deformity.

Main Results:

• Elbow flexion strength returned to preoperative levels; no significant difference between surgical and non-surgical arms.
• Forearm supination strength showed a statistically significant decrease in the surgical arm (88%) and non-surgical arm (90%) at follow-up.
• Clinical outcome scores (CS, ASES) significantly improved, with no significant Popeye deformity observed.

Conclusions:

• The mini-open Latarjet procedure effectively preserves elbow flexion strength and yields comparable forearm supination strength to the uninjured arm.
• A persistent, mild decrease in forearm supination strength in both arms was noted at 10 months postoperatively.
• The procedure demonstrated reliable clinical outcomes with no significant Popeye deformity observed.