Functional evaluation of repairs to circumferential labral lesions of the glenoid – Case series

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical results among patients undergoing arthroscopic repair of circumferential labral lesions.MethodsThis was a retrospective study on 10 patients who underwent arthroscopic repair to circumferential labral lesions of the shoulder, between September 2012 and September 2015. The patients were evaluated by means of the Carter-Rowe score, DASH score, UCLA score, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and Short-Form 36 (SF36). The average age at surgery was 29.6 years. The mean follow-up was 27.44 months (range: 12–41.3).ResultsThe mean score was 16 points for DASH; 32 points for UCLA, among which six patients (60%) had excellent results, three (30%) good and one (10%) poor; 1.8 points for VAS, among which nine patients (90%) had minor pain and one (10%) moderate pain; 79.47 for SF-36; and 92.5 for Carter-Rowe, among which nine patients (90%) had excellent results and one (10%) good. Joint degeneration was present in one case (10%), of grade 1. We did not observe any significant complications, except for grade 1 glenohumeral arthrosis, which one patient developed after the operation.ConclusionArthroscopic repair of circumferential labral lesions of the shoulder through use of absorbable anchors is effective, with improvements in all scores applied, and it presents low complication rates. Cases associated with glenohumeral dislocation have lower long-term residual pain.

Editorial Commentary: Treatment of Panlabral Shoulder Lesions: The Circle Concept Revisited

“…2,3 Their description of 6 level IV articles regarding 360 and 270 labral tears is a constant reminder that, when it comes to treating large labral tears, expect heterogeneity but depend on core anatomic principles. [4][5][6][7][8][9] As first conceptualized by Warren et al, the circle model of shoulder stability postulates that, to create shoulder instability, the capsulolabral complex of the shoulder must be disrupted in 2 places. 10,11 Therefore, a panlabral lesion or 270 tear may represent a readily identifiable manifestation of this model.…”