Arthroscopic Bankart suture repair for recurrent traumatic unidirectional anterior shoulder dislocations

We report our experience with arthroscopic repair of the Bankart lesion following traumatic unidirectional anterior shoulder dislocation. Thirty consecutive patients (7 women, 23 men; average age, 26.5 years) were followed for an average of 38 months (minimum 2-year follow-up) after arthroscopic Bankart suture repair for recurrent shoulder dislocation. The study included patients who had pure shoulder dislocations (excluding those with instability secondary to subluxation, multidirectional instability, or an atraumatic origin), had experienced an initial frank shoulder dislocation (documented radiographically or requiring the assistance of medical personnel for reduction), and had a Bankart lesion, visualized arthroscopically. Clinical evaluation using the Rowe functional grading system showed 11 patients rated as excellent, 8 as good, 3 as fair, and 8 as poor. Six of 8 patients were rated as poor because they frankly redislocated following their arthroscopic shoulder stabilization. Our study shows a 27% failure rate in this group. Critical reevaluation of the transglenoid arthroscopic Bankart procedure is mandatory to identify the appropriate patient population for this procedure.