Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the results of a relatively homogenous group
of patients with glenohumeral subluxation without labral pathology who were treated
with an electrothermal capsulorrhaphy procedure. Type of Study: Case series without controls. Methods: From 1997 to 1998, 42 patients underwent electrothermal capsulorrhaphy using a monopolar
radiofrequency probe (Oratec Interventions, Menlo Park, CA). Patients with prior capsular
repairs, labral pathology that required repair, or capsular avulsion injuries were
excluded from the study. Thirty-one patients met the inclusion criteria. Patients
had a minimum of 2 years of follow-up (mean, 25 months), and a mean age of 25 years
(range, 16 to 38 years). All of the patients had previously failed conservative treatment.
There were 25 patients with unidirectional anterior instability, 2 patients with unidirectional
inferior instability, 1 patient with unidirectional posterior instability, and 3 patients
with multidirectional instability. The patients were assessed using a modified American
Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score that examined pain (30 points), function
(60 points), and patient satisfaction (10 points). In addition, subjective stability
was assessed using a 10-point scale. Results: The average modified ASES score increased to 88 points from 56 preoperatively (P < .01). The average subjective stability scale increased to 8.5 from 4.4 preoperatively
(P < .01). Nineteen patients (61%) had an excellent result, 4 (13%) had a good result,
5 (16%) had a fair result, and 3 (10%) had a poor result; 22 of 26 patients who participated
in sports were able to return to their preinjury level of play. The subset of patients
with isolated anterior instability had results similar to the overall group. There
were no instances of axillary neuritis or other neurologic injury. Conclusions: In carefully selected patients with shoulder instability, including unidirectional
anterior instability without associated labral pathology, electrothermal capsulorrhaphy
was effective and had few complications. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series without controls.
Key Words
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© 2005 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
