Open Latarjet procedure for management of anterior shoulder instability in rugby players. A retrospective analysis

Introduction: Anterior shoulder instability largely affects the young and athletic population, where contact or collision sports have the highest risk of causing it and the highest recurrence rate. For this reason, there is a tendency to perform the Latarjet procedure in this population. The aim of this work is to analyze the functional results and complications after performing this procedure in rugby players operated in Uruguay. Materials and methods: A total of 21 patients treated surgically with the open Latarjet procedure were included. They were clinically evaluated by recording ranges of shoulder mobility and pain using a visual analog scale (VAS). The Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) score was also applied. Return to sport or not, and level of sport were assessed. All related complications were documented. Results: The average follow-up was 3.5 years. In 5 cases (23.8%) Latarjet surgery was performed as a revision of a first Bankart procedure. Full range of motion was obtained in all patients. Pain according to the VAS scale was 1.3. The average WOSI functional score was 75%. Return to sport occurred in 95.2% of patients, 71.5% of whom returned to the same competitive level. There were no cases of recurrence with dislocations or subluxations, 1 patient remained with apprehension of the operated shoulder. 3 cases (14.8%) presented stage 2 glenohumeral arthrosis. Conclusion: The Latarjet technique shows excellent results for anterior shoulder instability achieving stable joints, with a low degree of recurrence and arthrosis for patients who underwent both primary and revision surgeries.