Functional and imaging outcomes of arthroscopic simultaneous rotator cuff repair and bankart repair after shoulder dislocations.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have investigated outcomes of simultaneous rotator cuff (RC) repair and superior labral injury repair; however, there is limited information in the literature on outcomes of simultaneous RC repair and Bankart lesion repair after acute shoulder dislocations. PURPOSE To determine functional and imaging outcomes of simultaneous arthroscopic RC repair and Bankart repair after acute shoulder dislocations and to compare functional outcomes to contralateral, asymptomatic shoulders. STUDY DESIGN Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS Consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic simultaneous RC repair and Bankart repair with a minimum of 2 years' follow-up were recruited. All patients had suffered an acute shoulder dislocation. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Constant-Murley, and Short Form (SF)-36 scores were obtained. The affected shoulder also underwent ultrasound imaging to assess the integrity of the RC. RESULTS Thirteen patients (mean age, 58.8 ± 11.2 years; mean follow-up, 38.5 ± 12.3 months) were recruited. In a comparison of the affected versus unaffected shoulder, there were no significant differences in the mean ASES score (89.7 ± 12.6 vs 95.0 ± 6.7, respectively), mean Constant score (80.5 ± 18.9 vs 86.8 ± 7.9, respectively), or mean abduction strength (15.4 ± 6.4 lb vs 15.4 ± 5.2 lb, respectively) (P > .05). The mean SF-36 physical component summary was 48.4. According to ultrasound imaging, there were persistent/recurrent full-thickness tears in 4 patients, and 1 patient had a new full-thickness tear. At follow-up, patients with full-thickness RC tears in the affected shoulder compared with their unaffected shoulder showed similar mean ASES scores (90.9 ± 11.8 vs 97.6 ± 4.3, respectively), mean Constant scores (77.8 ± 20.3 vs 84.8 ± 7.2, respectively), and mean abduction strength (11.5 ± 5.3 lb vs 12.6 ± 4.5 lb, respectively) (P > .05). CONCLUSION After simultaneous arthroscopic repair of the RC and a Bankart lesion in patients after shoulder dislocations, the affected extremity had similar functional outcomes compared to the noninjured, asymptomatic side at a mean of 3 years after surgery. Persistent or recurrent RC tears involving the operative extremity were common, but they did not significantly affect functional outcomes in this small study.