Editorial Commentary: Shoulder Bankart and Latarjet Procedures Show Different Complications at Different Time Periods

In patients with shoulder instability, arthroscopic Bankart procedure results in a high recurrence rate if there is associated bone loss, even small-to-moderate bone loss. The Latarjet procedure mitigates against recurrence in such cases but has greater short-term (30-day) complications than an arthroscopic Bankart and a greater rate of revision or reoperation. In truth, short-term complications are low with both procedures. That said, complications after arthroscopic Bankart are less likely to manifest in the short term, and possible future failure is generally not discovered until after a patient is released and returns to sports and/or greater levels of activity. The ultimate pros and cons of each procedure require long-term follow-up. That said, in the short term after Latarjet, surgeons should be mindful to monitor for early infection, hematoma, and hardware malposition or failure. In the long term after Latarjet, surgeons could monitor for graft resorption, nonunion of the graft, hardware prominence, and postsurgical arthritis.