Recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder. Results after the Bankart and Putti-Platt operations.

A postoperative follow-up of one and one-half to ten years was obtained in 114 of 121 patients who underwent either a Bankart or a modified Putti-Platt procedure. In the forty-six patients who had a Bankart operation, there was one recurrence (2 per cent) compared with thirteen recurrences (19 per cent) in the sixty-eight patients who had a modified Putti-Platt procedure. Twelve (36 per cent) of the latter recurrences occurred in patients who were twenty-five years old or younger at the time of the operation and only one occurred in the patients who were more than twenty-five years old. The restriction of outward rotation after shortening of the subscapular tendon averaged 6 degrees as compared with 16 degrees after a Bankart operation. A modified Putti-Platt procedure (shortening of the subscapular tendon) is recommended only for patients who are more than thirty years old. It does offer certain advantages for them because of the simplicity of the procedure and the short duration of the operation.