Return to Sport Following Open Latarjet Procedure for Recurrent Shoulder Instability

Objectives: Shoulder instability is common within athletic populations, particularly in contact sports. The Latarjet procedure is typically reserved for recurrent instability recalcitrant to soft tissue repair. Limited literature exists regarding return-to-sport following Latarjet stabilization. Methods: A single institutional registry was queried between 2012 – 2016 for all open Latarjet stabilization procedures. Patients with no sport history were excluded. Glenoid bone loss was measured using the PICO method. Hill-Sachs defects were categorized as “on-track” or “off-track.” Sport participation was retrospectively surveyed 3-years prior and 3-years following surgery. Factors associated with return-to-sport, throwing, and recurrent instability were assessed using multivariate logistic regressions. Results: A total of 92 surgeries were identified, 67 of which were available for follow-up (72.8%). Average follow-up was 53.8 ± 11.6 months. Mean age and BMI were 27.9 ± 11.6 years and 25.9 ± 8.4 kg/m2, respectively. Mean glenoid bone loss was 16.4 ± 5.1%. There were 13 Hill Sachs lesions (5 off track), with a mean defect size of 145.8 ± 60.4 mm3. The dominant side was involved in 36 patients. Fifty-two patients (77.6%) reported return-to-sport at an average of 8.6 ± 4.6 months. Thirty-six patients (53.7%) reported return-to-sport at the same or higher level than their preoperative state. Only 58.6% of throwing athletes returned to throwing post-surgery. Seven patients (10.4%) reported recurrence of instability following surgery. A higher likelihood of recurrent instability was associated with larger Hill-Sachs volume (p=0.021, OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01-1.16). A reduced likelihood of returning to sport at same or better level was associated with dominant-sided surgery (p=0.010, OR: 0.362, 95% CI: 0.210-0.622). Conclusion: The open Latarjet procedure is associated with high rate of return-to-sport; however, nearly half were unable to return to their pre-injury level. During preoperative assessment, consideration of Hill-Sachs lesion size and laterality are significant factors for improved outcomes.