Articular arc length mismatch as a cause of failed Bankart repair

The purpose of this article is to recognize an often overlooked cause of fa iled anterior stabilization procedures of the shoulder. Hill-Sachs lesions are common occurrences after anterior dislocation. But despite the frequenc y of occurrence, they are commonly not addressed in the treatment of recurr ent anterior dislocation. The Hill-Sachs lesion produces a shortened rotati onal are length of the humeral head on the glenoid; any engagement of the d efect with the glenoid produces a sensation in the patient of subluxation/d islocation. However, instead of subluxation/dislocation, the sensation may be caused by mismatch between the articular are length of the humeral head and the glenoid, The literature concerning the Hill-Sachs lesion and its as sociation with recurrent dislocation has been reviewed. There is no recogni tion in the literature of this articular are length mismatch as a cause of failed anterior stabilization procedures. We present a case in which a Hill -Sachs lesion was the cause of a perceived recurrent subluxation/dislocatio n of the shoulder.