Combined Bankart and SLAP repair: patient-reported outcome measurements after a minimum 5-year follow-up

Background: Anterior shoulder instability is typically characterized by detachment of the anteroinferior labrum (Bankart lesion). Some patients also sustain a superior labrum anterior-to-posterior (SLAP) injury. The purpose of this study was to compare the medium-term clinical results of isolated anterior Bankart repairs (ABR) with those of combined Bankart and SLAP repair (ABR + SLAP). Methods: Data on all patients treated surgically for recurrent anterior shoulder instability between 2006 and 2011 were retrospectively collected from medical charts. The minimum follow-up was 5 years. Patients were interviewed to assess patient-reported outcome measurements (PROM) as determined by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score (ASES), the Subjective Shoulder Score (SSV), and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Score (DASH), as well as their quality of life (QOL: SF12 questionnaire). Information on complications, re-operations, and recurrent instability was recorded and evaluated as well. Results: A total of 150 patients (88% males) with a mean age 23.7 years (range 15–40) were included. Forty-two patients following ABR + SLAP repair were compared to 108 patients following ABR alone, with a mean follow-up of 7.8 years (range 5–10.7). The rate of re-dislocation was similar in both groups (26% for ABR + SLAP vs 20% for ABR, p =.44). There were no significant differences in functional outcome between the ABR + SLAP and the ABR alone groups (SSV 86.7 vs 86.5, p =.93, ASES 89.6 vs 86.5, p =.11, and DASH 4.9 vs 7, p =.17), or in QOL outcome (SF12 physical 95.6 vs 93.3, p =.27, SF12 mental 84.4 vs 85.7, p =.63). Conclusion: Surgical repair for anterior shoulder instability and a coexisting SLAP lesion yields clinical results as good as those of isolated ABR, as evidenced by similar PROM and re-dislocation rates after medium-term follow-up. Level of evidence: III.