An arthroscopic bone graft procedure for treating anterior–inferior glenohumeral instability

The purpose of this study is twofold: to present an arthroscopic method for treating anterior–inferior glenohumeral instability, and to evaluate its feasibility in a cadaveric model. This arthroscopic technique was performed in ten fresh frozen cadaver shoulder specimens. Quality of the results following the procedure were evaluated subjectively by assessing how the bone block graft was placed respect glenoid rim. We also evaluated adjacent axillary nerve and the neuro-vascular structures medial to the coracoid. We had six ‘good’ results, two ‘fair’ results, and two ‘poor’ results. The present study indicates that an anterior bone graft procedure for treating anterior bone defects of the glenoid in anterior inferior shoulder instability can be successfully performed. The worst results occurred during our first five procedures, suggesting a learning curve. However, the learning curve doesn’t appear to be steep, as the good results gained in the last five procedures confirm.