Clinical Outcomes and Return to Sports After Arthroscopic Repair of Humeral Avulsion of the Glenohumeral Ligament: A Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and the frequency of return to sport after the arthroscopic repair of a humeral avulsion of the inferior glenohumeral ligament (HAGL) lesion. Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline via PubMed and OVID were searched to identify the relevant citations. Screening and data extraction were performed independently. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used for all statistical analyses (CMA; USA version 3.3.070). A total of 18 articles (n = 832 patients; of whom, 379 patients had HAGL) were included. The fixed-effect estimate showed that the percentage of patients who returned to their sports was 89.1% (95% CI = 85% to 92.2%). The mean duration to return was estimated to be 6.65 months (95% CI = 5.10 to 8.20). Postoperatively, the mean Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), Oxford Shoulder Instability Score (OSIS), and Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV) scores were 88.60 (95% CI = 86.18 to 90.98), 15.02 (95% CI = 7.42 to 22.63), and 86.90 (95% CI = 80.79 to 93.00), respectively. The Rowe score improved significantly postoperatively with a mean difference (MD) of 54.47 (95% CI = 39.28 to 69.66). The University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score increased significantly post-arthroscopic repair (MD = 10.91, 95% CI = 10.07 to 11.76). The current evidence suggests that arthroscopic repair of HAGL lesions is associated with a high percentage of return to sports and improved Rowe score, WOSI, UCLA shoulder score, OSIS scale, and SSV score. The quality of the included studies is moderate; however, these findings are promising and call for further multicenter, prospective studies.