Osteoarthritis and recurrences after Putti-Platt and Eden-Hybbinette operations for recurrent dislocation of the shoulder

Thirty-five patients who had operations for recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder were reviewed, with a further 26 answering a questionnaire; the results were not as good as reported by others. The mean follow up was 26.9 years. Ten out of 43 patients had recurrent dislocations after the Putti-Platt and 6 out of 18 after the Eden-Hybbinette operation. Osteoarthritis developed in 15 shoulders of 26 patients who were followed-up after the former procedure and in 8 out of 9 shoulders after the latter. These sequelae depend on the age at the first dislocation rather than the number of dislocations. The overall satisfaction rate was acceptable for both procedures.