Scapular bone grafting with allograft pin fixation for repair of bony Bankart lesions: A biomechanical study

Background: Severe bony Bankart lesions are a difficult challenge in clinical treatment and research. The current treatment methods consist mostly of Latarjet-Bristow surgery and its modified procedures. While good results have been achieved, there are also complications such as coracoid fracture, bone graft displacement, and vascular and nerve injury.

Aim: To analyze the techniques and biomechanical properties of transversely fixing a bone block from the scapular spine using bone allograft pins with suture threads to repair bony Bankart lesions.

Methods: Fresh human shoulder joint specimens and a cadaver specimen model for scapular bone grafting with allograft pin fixation for repair of bony Bankart lesions were used. When the humeral rotation angles were 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°, and the axial loads were 30 N, 40 N, and 50 N, the humerus displacement was studied by biomechanical experiments.

Results: When the angle of external rotation of the humerus was 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°, with axial loads of 30 N, 40 N, and 50 N, the data of the normal control group, allograft pin repair group, and titanium alloy hollow screw repair group were compared with each other by the q-test, which showed that there were no statistically differences among the three groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The joints repaired with bone block from the scapular spine transversely fixed with allograft bony pins to repair bony Bankart lesions show good mechanical stability. The bone block has similar properties to normal glenohumeral joints in terms of biomechanical stability.