title: Anterior instability of the shoulder due to capsular laxity.
abstract: Thirty cases of anterior instability of the shoulder are reported where the only or pre-eminent pathological condition observed at operation was an abnormal laxity of the joint capsule. Four clinical pictures emerged - recurrent distortion, recurrent subluxation, recurrent dislocation, dislocation followed by recurrent subluxation - presumably due to increasing degrees of instability. In 13 cases, surgery consisted of stabilisation of the anterior joint capsule at the neck of the glenoid with a staple, and in 17 cases, capsulo-muscular plastic surgery with the aim of reducing the excessive width of the joint capsule and shortening the subscapularis. Satisfactory results were obtained in 90% of the cases. Although the quality of the results was not conditioned by the type of surgery used, capsulo-muscular plastic surgery appears to be the best method for the correction of the pathological condition responsible for the instability.
authors.affiliation: I Clinica Ortopedica dell'Università La Sapienza, Roma.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Postacchini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mancini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence; D012783:Shoulder Dislocation / Q000209:etiology; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013536:Suture Techniques