Screw-Related Complications May Occur at a Greater Rate After Arthroscopic Versus Open Latarjet Procedure: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE: To determine the rate of complications attributable to the use of screw fixation during the Latarjet procedure and to delineate screw-related complications for open and arthroscopic Latarjet surgery. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed by querying MEDLINE and EMBASE computerized databases for relevant articles that reported clinical outcomes associated with the Latarjet procedure. Clinical studies of open and/or arthroscopic Latarjet surgery that employed screw fixation of the coracoid were included in our analysis. RESULTS: From 692 articles identified initially, 32 studies met eligibility criteria. The study cohort comprised 2,758 shoulders, with a mean age of patients ranged from 17 to 62 years, and the mean duration of follow-up ranged from 0.3 to 25.6 years. Twenty-two studies reported outcomes of an open Latarjet technique whereas 10 studies reported on an arthroscopic Latarjet technique. Across all studies, the overall complication rate ranged from 1.4% to 36%. The rate of screw-related complications ranged from 0% to16%, and the rate of screw removal ranged from 0% to 18%. Among the subset of studies that reported specific indications for screw removal, the most common indications were pain and screw loosening. Reported rates of screw-removal among arthroscopic Latarjet procedures range from 0% to 18% and among open procedures range from 0% to 7.3%. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Up to one-third of the overall surgical complications associated with the Latarjet procedure may be related to the use of screw fixation, (2) arthroscopic Latarjet procedure did not decrease the rate of screw related complications. The reported rate of screw-removal may be higher after the arthroscopic Latarjet procedures (up to 18%) than after open procedures (up to 7,3%), and is mainly indicated for persistent shoulder pain and/or screw loosening. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review of Level III-IV studies.