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Unlabelled: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term results of arthroscopic thermal shrinkage of the anterior capsule in athletes with internal shoulder impingement. In recent years, opinion with regards to the aetiology of internal shoulder impingement has changed significantly. The traditional treatment of internal impingement consisted of debridement of labral and/or undersurface cuff lesions. The use of concomitant thermal capsulorrhaphy, based on the concept of anteroinferior laxity, has also been advocated with excellent short-term results. In this study we investigated the long-term effects of this technique. Twelve overhead athletes with internal impingement underwent traditional arthroscopic treatment plus thermal capsulorrhaphy for internal impingement. All patients were evaluated 1, 2 and 7 years postoperatively using a questionnaire regarding their sports activity, and the modified Rowe score. At 1, 2 and 7 years postoperatively there was a significant improvement in the modified Rowe score when compared to the preoperative scores. However, follow-up at 7 years showed a significant deterioration of the initial 1 and 2 year results (p < 0.001), with only 25% of the athletes able to perform sports at their preoperative level., Conclusion: Excellent short-term results with thermal capsulorrhaphy, in addition to traditional arthroscopic treatment, in patients with internal shoulder impingement were not sustained over time. After 7 years, only 25% of the athletes were able to perform sports at their preoperative level.

Chronic groin pain in athletes is a difficult diagnostic and therapeutic condition. Between March 2004 and December 2009, 241 male athletes (mean age: 25.8 years, range: 16-41) in whom chronic sportsman's hernia was diagnosed, were surgically treated using a standardised technique. In this retrospective study, charts were analyzed for preoperative duration of symptoms and prior treatment. Perioperative complications were noted. Patients were contacted and were asked to answer a telephone questionnaire: 162 patients agreed to be questioned as part of the current study. A surgical intervention with reinforcement of the posterior inguinal wall and tenotomy of the adductors has lead to satisfactory results in over 90% of athletes with chronic groin pain who failed to improve with conservative treatment.

Arthroscopy of the shoulder has become much more common in the past decade as surgeons have developed proficiency with the arthroscope in the knee and appropriate instrumentation has been developed. In recent years arthroscopic techniques adapted to the shoulder have continued to evolve from a diagnostic to a treatment-oriented modality. It is now recognized and accepted as both a diagnostic and therapeutic technique in orthopedic surgery. A thorough knowledge of the anatomy, disorders, arthroscopic variations and pathological findings is essential to successfully perform the procedure. This paper discusses the operating room set-up, the portal placement and the indications for arthroscopy of the shoulder.

Arthroscopic transglenoid suture of Bankart lesions was performed in 31 patients from 1988 to 1992. The diagnosis in all patients was recurrent traumatic anterior luxation, and a Bankart lesion was found in all cases. Mean time for clinical follow-up was 43 months (ranging from 25 to 76 months). A telephone review of all cases was obtained two years later. Five patients experienced postoperative wound problems posteriorly, where the sutures were tied over the fascia of the infraspinatus. One transient suprascapular nerve palsy was seen. There was a recurrence of complete dislocation in eight patients, while six patients had had repeated subluxations (total failure rate of 45.1%). Sixteen patients (51.6%) were assessed as having good to excellent results according to the Rowe scoring system. A slight loss of external rotation was found in six cases. Seventeen patients (54.8%) were able to return to their pre-injury level of athletic activity. Due to the high failure rate, we do not recommend arthroscopic transglenoid suture of Bankart lesions in patients with recurrent traumatic anterior dislocations.

An analysis of the results of 53 patients treated by an open Neer decompression for chronic impingement of the shoulder is presented. Patients were evaluated pre- and post-operatively on the UCLA Shoulder Rating Scale, which includes an assessment of pain, function, range of motion, strength and patient satisfaction. After an average period of 27.3 months, good or excellent results were found in 81.1%. Satisfactory results (according to Neer) were found in 94.3%. Differential diagnosis of acromioclavicular pathology and cervical syndromes is important.

Congenital contracture of the infraspinatus muscle has been reported by K. Kitano et al. (1988). We describe a patient with an acquired contracture of the infraspinatus muscle causing posterior subluxation of the glenohumeral joint.