The Latarjet Procedure: A reliable and safe procedure for anterior shoulder dislocations with anterior bony glenoid deficiency

Authors: Joshua Henry, Santosh Venkatachalam, Lennard Funk

Aims
The Latarjet procedure was developed to prevent further shoulder dislocations through relocation of the coracoid, creating a reinforcing tendinous sling and capsular repair. Recent studies have reported high overall complication rates of over 30%. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of the Latarjet procedure in our practice, particularly focussing on complications and failure.

Patients and Methods
All patients that had undergone the Latarjet procedure between March 2011 and May 2012 were included. Indication for surgery was anterionferior bony glenoid deficiency. All procedures were performed by the senior author through an open approach. The Oxford Shoulder Instability score, Oxford Shoulder, Constant and DASH scores were recorded, including all complications and failures.

Results
There were 58 patients with a mean age of 25.68 years (range 18.17-44.05), with predominance of men (93%) and an average follow up period of 22 months. Sixty nine percent of the Latarjets were performed after at least one previous surgery and 31% as a primary procedure. Shoulder function and pain showed significant improvement in all outcome measures (p<0.05) and 96% of active sportsmen were able to return to sport. 

There were three (5%) complications overall. One deep infection, one persistent bleed from the coracoid osteotomy site and one non-union resulting in fracture of the proximal screw with recurrence (1.72%). All were corrected with revision surgery. There was no neurovascular complications.

Conclusions
The Latarjet procedure is an effective operation in selected cases with a low complication rate.