• Ofer Levy, Timothy Matthews, and Tirtza Even.
• Reading Shoulder Unit, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, England. oferlevy@readingshoulderunit.com
• Arthroscopy. 2007 Jan 1; 23 (1): 57-64.

PurposeWe report the early and midterm results of the "purse-string" technique, a simple, new arthroscopic technique for stabilization of anteroinferior instability of the glenohumeral joint that addresses both the Bankart lesion and capsular stretching.MethodsThe patients comprised 36 individuals (37 shoulders), with a mean age of 26 years, who had recurrent anteroinferior post-traumatic instability as a result of a traumatic Bankart lesion. They had sustained a mean of 5 dislocations per shoulder (range, 1 to 11). The cohort included 5 professional and 6 semiprofessional athletes, all of whom were involved in collision or overhead sports. A purse-string suture anchor at the 4-o'clock position was used to ensure a purse-string effect in tightening the capsule in the inferior-superior plane and creation of anterior glenoid bumper. All of the patients were assessed by an independent investigator (T.M.) at a mean of 36 months (range, 27 to 87 months) after surgery.ResultsPostoperatively, the mean Rowe score was 93 (range, 55 to 100), the mean Walch-Duplay score was 93 (range, 70 to 100), and the mean Constant score was 97 (range, 77 to 100). Of the patients, 97% returned to the same sport that they had played before injury. Furthermore, 66% of patients returned to their preinjury level of sports, and all of the professional athletes resumed full activities. One patient continued to have symptoms of instability, and one patient had a further dislocation after a new traumatic event.ConclusionsThe early and medium-term results obtained are very encouraging, with a rate of failure of only 5.4%, a high level of return to preinjury sporting activities (with 97% of patients returning to the same sport and 66% returning to their preinjury level of sports), and a high patient satisfaction rate (with excellent or good results in 94% of patients).Level Of EvidenceLevel IV, therapeutic case series.

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