Open or arthroscopic Latarjet? Prospective analysis of the clinical results

OBJECTIVES: The arthroscopic bone block procedure in the treatment of anterior shoulder instabilities is now a validated technique. Nevertheless, few studies have compared the clinical results of this technique to the conventional Latarjet procedure. Therefore the objective of this study was to compare the short-term clinical results of the 2 surgical techniques. METHODS: We conducted a monocentric prospective comparative study, including patients who had undergone a bone block procedure for anterior instability with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Patients with a surgical history concerning the affected shoulder were excluded. Evaluation was based on the measurement of mobility, the Walch-Duplay score, the Rowe score, the Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), return to sports, the Net Promoter satisfaction Score, and recurrence (subluxation/luxation). Scarring was assessed by the POSAS score. RESULTS: It was possible to follow 45 patients: arthroscopy (A) n=22, open (O) n=25. With an average follow-up of 20 months (12-30), no recurrence of instability was recorded. No significant difference was noted between groups A and O in terms of the Walch-Duplay score (85±19 vs 91±11 points; p=0.3), the Rowe score (93±14 vs 95±9 points; p=0.9), the SSV (72% vs 88%; p=0.2) and the Net Promoter Score (9.3 vs 9.7; p=0.5). At 3 months, return to sports was 11% for group A vs 48% for group O (p=0.01). This difference was no longer significant at 6 months. Loss of external rotation in group A was significantly greater at 1.5 months -58°±18° vs -41°±17° (p=0.01) and 3 months -35°±20° vs -19°±18° (p=0.01). There was no difference in the POSAS score between the 2 groups. (p= 0.9). CONCLUSION: With a longer recovery time for joint amplitudes and a delayed return to sports, the arthroscopic double-button fixation procedure does not seem to provide any short-term clinical benefit. Longer follow-up is required to confirm these results.