Knotless and knotted all-suture anchors have comparable clinical outcomes and return to sport rates following arthroscopic anterior labral (Bankart) repair.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective comparative study aimed to characterize the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing arthroscopic labral repair using either knotless or knotted all-suture anchors.

METHODS: This study identified all patients who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair with all-suture anchors, both knotless and knotted, with at least 2 years of follow-up. Demographic, athletic, return-to-sport, surgical, and functional outcomes data, including American Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ASES) and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) scores, were collected and compared between anchor groups.

RESULTS: Outcomes data were collected for 192 patients, with an average follow-up of 3.1 years and a mean age of 23.8 years. Among anchor types, 72% were knotless-only (138/192), 13% knotted-only (26/192), and 14% combined (28/192). There were no differences in rates of revision shoulder surgery, rates of return to sport, or postoperative ASES or WOSI scores when comparing anchor types (p > .05). Among competitive athletes (66% of cohort) who attempted to return to preinjury level of sport, 95% (88/93) were able to.

DISCUSSION: Knotless and knotted all-suture anchors demonstrated comparable revision rates, patient-reported outcomes, and return to preinjury sport rates for patients who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair.