ARTHROSCOPIC VERSUS OPEN RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SHOULDER IN PATIENTS WITH ISOLATED BANKART LESIONS

We compared open and arthroscopic stabilizations of true Bankart lesio ns in patients with traumatic, unidirectional anterior glenohumeral di slocations. The 27 patients were men (age range, 18 to 56 years) who w ere involved in recreational sports. One group (15 patients) had elect ed an arthroscopic Bankart repair; the other group (12 patients) had c hosen open stabilization with a standard deltopectoral approach. Patie nts were followed up 17 to 42 months after surgery by examination, rad iographs, and interviews. In the open repair group, 1 of the 12 patien ts experienced a subluxation in-the follow-up period, but no patients had dislocations or reoperations. In the arthroscopic group, 5 of 15 p atients had experienced subluxation or dislocation; of these 5 patient s, 2 underwent reoperation. The arthroscopic group had significantly w orse results in satisfaction, stability, apprehension, and loss of for ward flexion in the operated limb. In summary, the arthroscopic proced ure did not significantly improve function; instead, it produced an in creased failure rate compared with the open procedure. Therefore, we b elieve that open stabilization remains the procedure of choice for pat ients with true Bankart lesions.