Purpose: Metallic suture anchors are widely used in open and arthroscopic o
perations about the shoulder. We report the cases of 8 patients who were re
ferred to our institution with complications following shoulder surgery in
which metallic suture anchors were used. Type of Study: Retrospect ive case
series. Methods: There were 7 male patients and 1 female patient with an a
verage age of 36 years (range, 18 to 76 years). The initial operation was o
pen anterior reconstruction for anterior instability of the glenohumeral jo
int in 5 patients, open rotator cuff tear repair in 2 patients, and an open
posterior capsular reconstruction for posterior instability in 1 patient.
All patients were referred for evaluation after a failed index reconstructi
ve procedure. Results: On average, 5.5 suture anchors (range, 3 to 8) per s
houlder were used. Of 4 patients undergoing reconstruction with glenoid anc
hors only, 3 patients had an extraosseously positioned device. In this subs
et of glenoid-sided reconstructions, when more than 3 anchors were used, at
least 1 anchor was inserted in an extraosseous position. In 2 of 3 patient
s with isolated humeral anchors, there was evidence of migration over time
(1 intra-articular, 2 bursal). Three patients (38%) developed severe articu
lar damage that was directly caused by a loose or intra-articular metal sut
ure anchor. One patient developed a wound infection after reconstructive su
rgery. In all 8 patients, the index procedure failed and required subsequen
t surgery, Conclusions: The use of metallic suture anchors about the should
er is commonplace and useful, but, as with other hardware used about the sh
oulder, there are significant risks if the anchors are improperly placed or
if the index procedure fails.