Anterior mid-portion capsular tear with Bankart lesion in recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation: outcome report and bone defect evaluation

Introduction This study aimed to report the incidence of anterior mid-portion capsular tears identified during arthroscopic Bankart repair (ABR), the clinical outcomes of repairing this combined lesion, and to evaluate the associated bone defects. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients undergoing ABR between January 2014 and December 2017. Data from patients with capsular tears identified during ABR were included and analyzed. Age, number of dislocations, repair technique, follow-up results, and X-rays were reviewed. The size of the glenoid defect and Hill–Sachs lesion were reviewed via magnetic resonance imaging or magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA). Results Records of 95 patients undergoing ABR during the study period were reviewed, and nine were included. The overall incidence of capsular tears was 9.5% and the mean age at surgery was 45.3 ± 14.3 years. All cases had > 3 dislocations before treatment. All patients had labral lesions, and one had a glenoid defect. Hill–Sachs lesions were observed in eight patients. Seven patients underwent MRA examination, and all seven showed axillary pouch disruption. Over 3.9 ± 1.1 years of follow-up, there was no instability recurrence, and Rowe scores improved from 42.2 to 96.7 ( p < 0.001). Conclusions There was no recurrent shoulder instability after combined arthroscopic repair of capsular and Bankart lesions. There were Rowe score improvements over at least three years of follow-up. Although our case number was small, we found that mid-portion capsular tear occurred in patients over 30 years with multiple recurrent dislocations, with or without small glenoid bone defects, and with axillary pouch disruption on MRA images.