Functional evaluation of arthroscopic treatment of SLAP lesions through the O’Brien portal☆

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the functional results from arthroscopic repair of SLAP lesions through the portal described by O'Brien. METHODS A retrospective evaluation was conducted on 19 shoulders in 18 patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of SLAP lesions through the O'Brien portal between November 2007 and January 2012. RESULTS Nineteen shoulders in 18 patients were evaluated: 16 male patients (84.2%) and three female patients (15.7%). The patients' ages ranged from 27 to 40 years (mean of 34.3 years). There were 12 patients (63.1%) with injuries on the right shoulder, six (31.5%) with injuries on the left shoulder and one (5.2%) with bilateral injury. In relation to dominance, 13 patients (68.4%) presented the injury on the dominant limb and five (26.3%) were affected on the non-dominant limb. We observed that nine cases (47.3%) had SLAP lesions alone and 10 cases (52.6%) were related to glenohumeral instability. There was one case (5.2%) of recurrence of glenohumeral dislocation, but this patient chose not to undergo a new surgical intervention. According to the UCLA and ASES scales translated and adapted to the Portuguese language, 96% of the results were good or excellent. CONCLUSION The approach for treating SLAP lesions through the portal described by O'Brien et al. is easy to reproduce, with a high rate of good and excellent results and a low complication rate.