Circumferential Lesions of the Glenoid Labrum

Objective: Symptomatic pan-labral or circumferential (360 degree) tears of the glenohumeral labrum are an uncommon injury. The purpose of this study is to report the prospective surgical results of circumferential lesions of the glenoid labrum using validated outcome instruments. Methods: From July 2003 to May 2006, 41 shoulders in 39 patients with mean age of 25.1 years (range, 17 to 38) were prospectively enrolled in a multi-center study (3 surgeons) and treated for a circumferential (360-degree) lesion of the glenoid labrum. There were 34 men and 5 women, all with a primary diagnosis of pain and recurrent shoulder instability. All patients underwent arthroscopic repair of the circumferential labral tear with a mean of 7.1 suture anchors (range, 6 to 9). The outcomes in 39 of 41 shoulders (92.7% follow-up) were assessed at a mean final follow-up of 31.8 months (range, 24 to 53 months) with VAS pain and instability scales (0 to 10), a physical examination, the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation Score (SANE), the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score (ASES), and the SF-12 score.