Bankart vs. Latarjet: who wins the fight?

Abstract

. Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of the Bankart repair compared with the Latarjet procedure for anterior shoulder instability. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of patients who underwent either Bankart or Latarjet procedures for a diagnosis of anterior shoulder instability between 2002 and 2022 was performed. ROWE score variables (post op function, stability, pain and mobility) as well as one variable of the Walch-Duplay Score (return to sports/daily activity) were evaluated. Results: Our study included 95 patients, 43 of them treated with Bankart and 52 treated with Latarjet procedure. At final follow-up, there was no difference between patients who underwent the Bankart procedure and those who underwent the Latarjet repair in the reported ROWE score (mean 3,16 ± 0.974 vs 3,42 ± 0.977, p = 0.199) or in the analyzed Walch-Duplay component (3,07 ± 1.183 vs 3,23 ± 1.113, p = 0.497). Overall, 3 patients in the Bankart group and 4 patients in the Latarjet group had recurrent instability events (p = 0.170), which means there was no significant difference in the rate of recurrent dislocation. Conclusions: In patients with anterior shoulder instability both Bankart and Latarjet procedures are valid treatments. Even when concerning glenoid bone loss and Hill-Sachs lesion, both procedures were shown to be reliable treatments, with a low rate of recurrent instability and excellent patient-reported outcomes. Therefore, the main inquiry we pose is: should the surgeon's expertise and preference also be considered in the decision of the surgical technique? Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.