Management of shoulder instability: the current state of treatment among German orthopaedic surgeons

The aim of this study was to evaluate the current state of treatment in traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation in Germany and to detect changes over the last 12 years.

Seven hundred ninety-six trauma and/or orthopaedic departments were found in the German hospital directory 2012. The websites of each department were searched for the email address of the responsible shoulder surgeon (if applicable) or the head of the department. Seven hundred forty-six email addresses were found, and emails with the request to participate in an online survey were sent in January 2013. Six hundred seventy-five emails probably reached the correct addressee. Seventy-one emails were rejected, and no contact could be made. One-hundred ninety-one (28 %) participated in the study. The data were compared to similar data from a survey on shoulder dislocation performed in the same department and published in 2001.

After the first-time traumatic shoulder dislocation in patients aged younger than 30 years participating in sports, 14 % of the participants would prefer conservative treatment, 83 % arthroscopic, and 3 % open surgery. When surgery was indicated, arthroscopic Bankart repair was the treatment of choice for 93 % of the participants. In 2001, 27 % had indicated conservative treatment after the first-time shoulder dislocation in active patients younger than 30 years. When surgery was indicated, 66 % had performed arthroscopic and 34 % open stabilization. For the standard arthroscopic Bankart repair without concomitant injuries, 41 % of the participants use two and 54 % three suture anchors. Knotless anchors were preferred by 72 %. In the case of glenoid bone loss greater than 25 %, only 46 % perform a procedure for glenoid bone augmentation. Fifteen percent of the participants always recommended immobilization in external rotation after traumatic first-time shoulder dislocation.

The majority of participants recommend arthroscopic Bankart repair with two or three suture anchors in young persons with the first-time dislocations. Compared to 2001 less recommend conservative treatment, complex “open” surgical procedures are no longer used. The knowledge that a Bankart procedure likely fails in significant glenoid bone loss is not implemented in the clinical practice. Thus, there is a need to educate surgeons on this topic.