Short-term outcomes of instability related anterior glenoid fractures treated with open repair utilizing subscapularis split technique

Introduction The purpose of this series is to report on the one-year clinical outcomes of instability related anterior glenoid fractures treated with open repair utilizing the subscapularis split technique. Methods Patients with displaced anterior glenoid fractures who underwent open surgical treatment via deltopectoral incision and subscapularis split were identified from a single surgeons database. Fractures were repaired using screw fixation or with distal tibia osteochondral allograft reconstruction. Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Upper Extremity Computer Adaptive Test (UE), PROMIS Pain interference (PI), PROMIS pain intensity (Pi), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain, and Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV) scores were obtained at minimum one-year follow-up. Results Twelve patients with a mean age of 54 (range 28-72) years were included in our study with a follow-up at an average of 16.6 (range 12-30) months. Ten patients underwent internal fixation and two patients underwent allograft reconstruction. Postoperative imaging (n = 10) at latest follow-up demonstrated healed fractures without any hardware complication. Mean postoperative range of motion included forward elevation of 147 +/- 44.0 degrees and external rotation of 44 +/- 17 degrees. Postoperative PROMs were obtained from nine patients with a mean PROMIS UE, PI, and Pi score of 49.4 +/- 4.1, 39.9 +/- 3.8 and 35.6 +/- 4.3, respectively. The respective mean ASES, VAS, and SSV scores were 91.8 +/- 7.2, 1.2 +/- 1.0, and 91.0 +/- 8.0. Conclusion Open surgical repair of anterior glenoid fractures utilizing subscapularis split results in good functional outcomes and low complications including risk of recurrent instability.