Failed surgery for recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder. Causes and management.

We have reviewed 36 patients who had recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder after a previous anterior repair and analysed the various causes of failure. It was found that failure could have been avoided in virtually all of the patients by correct pre-operative diagnosis, selection of the appropriate operation and its proper execution. The further management of these patients is described and suggestions are made as to means of reducing the incidence of failure after primary operation.