Management of Shoulder Instability in Patients with Seizure Disorders

Patients with seizure disorders commonly suffer shoulder dislocations and subsequent instability. Due to high rates of recurrence and bone loss, management of this instability and associated pathology has proven to be more complex than that of patients without seizure disorders. The ultimate goal of this review is to outline the various treatment modalities and their respective outcomes in this complex patient population.

Optimization of medical management of seizure disorders is imperative. However, despite these efforts, the incidence of post-operative seizure activity continues to be a concern. These subsequent episodes increase the risk of further instability and failure of surgical procedures. Overall, the use of soft tissue procedures has proven to result in increased recurrence of instability compared to bone-block augmenting and grafting procedures. There are a variety of bone-block procedures that have been described for anterior and posterior instability. Despite their success in decreasing further instability, they are associated with several complications that patients should be informed of. There is no consensus regarding the optimal surgical management of shoulder instability in patients with seizure activity. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of the seizure activity is paramount to the success of their treatment. Further studies are required to evaluate the optimal timing and type of surgical intervention for individualized cases.