Recurrence of glenohumeral instability in patients with isolated rotator cuff repair after a traumatic shoulder dislocation

Introduction: The primary objective of this study was to assess the incidence of recurrent glenohumeral instability in patients over 40 years with isolated rotator cuff (RC) repair for traumatic shoulder dislocation. The secondary objectives were to identify risk factors for glenohumeral recurrence after RC repair and to describe the causes and incidences of re-intervention. Materials and methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data of consecutive patients at a single trauma center between January 2014 and July 2019 were reviewed, and 84 patients with a mean age of 57 (range: 40–75) years and follow-up duration of 3.9 (2–6) years were included. The inclusion criteria were as follows: first traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation, reparable RC tear, primary arthroscopic RC repair, no labral or bony Bankart lesion repair, and at least 2 years of follow-up. Patients less than 40 years of age were excluded. Shoulder instability recurrences and surgical reinterventions were reviewed with medical records. Statistical analysis was performed for qualitative variables using the Chi-squared test. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: There was one patient with a redislocation episode (1.2%) at 2.5 years after surgery, who was surgically treated. Age, subscapular tears, bony Bankart injuries, humeral defects, and associated neurological injuries were not risk factors for recurrence in this study. Ten patients (11.9%) required reintervention. Nine patients (10.7%) re-tore their RCs. Conclusions: Recurrent glenohumeral instability in active patients over 40 years with isolated RC repair after traumatic shoulder dislocation was infrequent, despite the incidence of significant Hill–Sachs defects, anterior glenoid defects, bipolar bone defects, size of the RC injury, and tendon re-tears. The incidence of re-interventions was 11.9%, with symptomatic RC retear as the main cause.