Editorial Commentary: The Surgeon is the Method: Patient Positioning in Arthroscopic Repair of Shoulder Panlabral Tears.

Abstract

Combined tears of the anterior, posterior, and superior glenoid labrum have not been commonly reported in the literature. These lesions represent a small, but significant portion of labral injuries. Care should be taken in the diagnosis and management of these lesions because preoperative physical examination and imaging may have limited ability to detect the full extent of pathology. Arthroscopic repair of panlabral tears produces good to excellent outcomes and a low rate of recurrent instability at short-term follow-up, both when performed in the beach chair position and in the lateral decubitus position. Surgical positioning, therefore, should be based on surgeon preference.