Long-term outcomes following isolated arthroscopic Bankart repair: a 9- to 12-year follow-up

BACKGROUND: The long-term outcomes following arthroscopic Bankart repair have been rarely reported. Because of its relative novelty, little is known about recurrent instability, postoperative arthritis, and patient satisfaction, particularly for well-established modern procedures. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes following arthroscopic Bankart repair. METHODS: Patients who underwent isolated arthroscopic Bankart repair from 2003 to 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Recurrent instability, radiographic, and clinical scores (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES], Simple Shoulder Test [SST], and Rowe scores) were evaluated. Patient factors (ie, age, gender, side, number of instability episodes, contact sports, and bone loss) were analyzed to determine the correlation with outcome measures. RESULTS: Among the 98 patients (102 shoulders), we were able to contact 50 patients (51 shoulders, mean age 27.0 years, mean follow-up 121.2 months). Significant bone loss in glenoid and humerus was arthroscopically observed in 16 (31.4%) and 28 (54.9%) shoulders, respectively. Sixteen shoulders (31.4%) experienced recurrent instability. Recent radiographs were obtained for 38 shoulders, 14 (36.8%) of which showed moderate to severe arthritis. Clinical outcomes at follow-up were 89.3, 10.8, and 76.0 for ASES, SST, and Rowe scores, respectively. Neither recurrent instability nor arthritis was correlated with any patient factors. CONCLUSION: When isolated arthroscopic Bankart repair was used in all patients with shoulder instability regardless of bony defect, postoperative recurrent instability and arthritis rates were unacceptably high. Additional procedures should be chosen after careful consideration of multiple patient factors.