Is the learning curve for arthroscopic Latarjet procedure facilitated by a specific step-by-step guiding system for the surgical technique?

• Published in: Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine 2021-02, Vol.9 (2_suppl)
• Main Authors: Belas, Maxime, Gaujac, Nicolas, Bouche, Pierre Alban, Charousset,MD, Christophe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arthroscopy; Medical procedures; Orthopedics; Sports medicine; Surgical techniques
• ISSN: 2325-9671; 2325-9671
• DOI: 10.1177/2325967121S00003

Objectives: Treating anterior shoulder instability with the arthroscopic Latarjet procedure is a complex, operator-dependent technique that requires a learning curve. The objective of the study is to compare a guided technique with cortical button fixation and a non-guided technique with screw fixation. Methods: This is a retrospective study including 72 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for recurrent anterior shoulder instability by the arthroscopic Latarjet procedure, with a mean age of 26 years and minimum clinical follow-up of 6 months. The same surgeon performed all the surgeries. The procedure was performed either with an instrument set and dedicated instrumentation that guides the different surgical steps and fixed by two cortical buttons connected by loops of a continuous thread (Group A) or with a specific instrument set and fixed by two cortical screws (Group B). We compared the difficulty of the different surgical steps, each rated from 1 to 5 (1 being the simplest and 5 the most difficult), the number of procedures required to attain a level of difficulty, the operating time and the intraoperative or postoperative complications. Results: Coracoid preparation had a score of 1.3 in group A versus 2.9 in group B (p