Glenohumeral arthritis after Latarjet procedure: Progression and it's clinical significance

Background

The risk factors of glenohumeral arthritis after the Latarjet procedure remain relatively unexplored. The purposes of this study are to evaluate the clinical significance of glenohumeral arthritis after the Latarjet procedure, and to investigate risk factors associated with arthritis progression.

Methods

We evaluated 110 patients (110 shoulders) who underwent the Latarjet procedure for recurrent anterior shoulder instability. Patients had a mean age of 23.8 years (range, 14–52 years) at the time of the operation, and the mean duration of follow-up was 31 months (range, 24–111 months).

Results

At the last follow-up, the mean Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Rowe and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scores significantly improved from 3.1, 36.5 and 23.6 points preoperatively to 1.6, 87.6 and 32.6 points (all P < 0.05, respectively). The postoperative rate of recurrence was 5.4%. Among the 14 shoulders with preoperative arthritis, 8 (57.1%) showed progression of arthritis at the last follow up. New occurrence or progression of arthritis after the Latarjet procedure was in 20 shoulders (18.2%). At the final, overall prevalence of arthritis was 23.6% (26 shoulders). The non-arthritis group showed significantly better functional outcomes (VAS score: 0.9, Rowe Score: 89.3, UCLA score: 33.5) than the arthritis group (2.1, 84.9, 29.2; all P < 0.05, respectively). Preoperative generalized laxity and lateral overhang were associated with glenohumeral arthritis progression after surgery. (all P < 0.05, retrospectively).

Conclusion

The Latarjet procedure yielded satisfactory functional outcomes with low recurrent rate at mid-term follow-up. Development or progression of arthritis was observed in 18.2% of patients, postoperatively. Glenohumeral arthritis after the Latarjet procedure had an adverse effect on clinical outcome. Generalized laxity and lateral overhang should be considered as risk factors of progression to glenohumeral arthritis after the Latarjet procedure.