Purpose
Without careful patient selection, arthroscopic Bankart repair for the treatment of anterior shoulder instability is associated with a high rate of recurrent instability. The Recenter is a small prosthetic block designed to augment the anterior glenoid rim in addition to an arthroscopic Bankart repair to compensate for glenoid bone loss by buttressing the repaired labrum. This report evaluates the early clinical outcomes of arthroscopic Bankart with Recenter augmentation. It was hypothesized that this technique would safely restore shoulder stability in patients with anteroinferior glenohumeral instability, with excellent clinical outcomes and few complications.
Methods
A retrospective review of all patients treated with an arthroscopic Bankart repair with Recenter augmentation was performed between April 2016 and October 2017. The mean final follow-up was 37 months (range, 29-46). The mean age at the time of the surgery was 33.6 (SD 9.9) years. Shoulders were evaluated for post-operative pain, range of motion, functional scores and recurrent instability.
Results
Twenty-seven patients were reviewed at a minimum 2-year follow-up. One patient sustained a recurrent anterior dislocation following no major trauma. There were no post-operative complications related directly to the Recenter implant, and no patient demonstrated post-operative osteoarthritic changes on standard radiographs. Overall, patients were generally satisfied (92.6%) and demonstrated good functional results [average Walch-Duplay score 78.8, (SD 21.4); average Rowe score, 88.5 (SD 15.9); average SST, 90.7 (SD 14.5)].
Conclusion
Arthroscopic prosthetic block stabilization combined with a standard Bankart repair safely restored shoulder stability in patients with anteroinferior glenohumeral instability, with excellent clinical results. Longer term follow-up is required to assess the long-term benefits of metallic block augmentation.