Results of the McLaughlin procedure for chronic locked posterior dislocation of the shoulder

摘要

AIM: To determine the functional outcome of patients undergoing McLaughlin procedure for chronic locked posterior dislocation of the shoulder. METHODS: A retrospective review of six patients who underwent this procedure was carried out. There were four females and two males. Ages ranged from 27 years to 68 years (mean age of 46.5 years). The average time interval between injury and presentation was 26.5 weeks (range 3-65 weeks). These procedures were all performed by the senior author (AAA) between 2003 and 2007. Patients were followed up clinically and radiologically for an average of 10.1 months (range 6-24 months). Outcome was assessed in terms of function, pain and patient satisfaction with the help of the Constant and Murley score.1 RESULTS: No complications were noted and no recurrences were seen. At the last follow up, the average Constant score achieved was 73.5 (range 60-93). The maximum is 100 points. DISCUSSION: A search of the literature resulted in a handful of articles dealing with chronic posterior dislocation of the shoulder. All of these were with very few patients and some of the articles presented results with more than one procedure. In our case series, the McLaughlin procedure proved to be useful in achieving a painless, stable shoulder with reasonable function. CONCLUSION: The McLaughlin procedure is a reliable operation and produces satisfactory results for chronic locked posterior dislocation of the shoulder.