Editorial Commentary: The Shoulder Transpectoralis Portal for Arthroscopic Latarjet: Medial to the Coracoid Can Also Be a Safe Side!

Abstract

The all-arthroscopic Latarjet is gaining popularity among shoulder surgeons, although the procedure is technically demanding and potentially dangerous, placing the brachial plexus and axillary vessels at risk when using screws for fixation of the bone block from the front. Matsen once wrote that "lateral to the coracoid is the safe side, while medial to the coracoid is the suicide." However, creation of a portal medial to the coracoid during arthroscopic reconstruction of the glenoid is needed to permit accurate positioning of the screws (parallel to the glenoid surface) and coracoid bone block (flush to the glenoid surface). Our own clinical experience with the arthroscopic Latarjet over the last decade has shown us that the safety of the arthroscopic medial transpectoralis portal depends on 3 technical considerations: (1) the portal should always be established in an outside-in fashion from anterior to posterior; (2) passing through the pectoralis major muscle with a relatively superficial trajectory, using a switching stick oriented with a 45° orientation toward the tip of the coracoid; and (3) under visual control of the anterior extra-articular subdeltoid space to end up lateral to the coracoid process. If these conditions are respected, surgeons should not worry: medial to the coracoid can also be a safe side! An inside-out technique (introducing a switching stick from posterior to anterior) is forbidden, as this would end up piercing the neurovascular structures. Once the coracoid has been osteotomized and the conjoint tendon retracted distally, all instruments passing though the transpectoral portal are directly in contact with the neurovascular structures. This is why working through the medial transpectoralis portal should be done only with the help of a cannula or half-pipe. Ideally, the transpectoral portal should not be used as a "working portal" but as a "protecting portal" instead, placing a stick or spreader to protect the neurovascular structures. To avoid working through the anterior medial portal, we have proposed a much safer alternative that consists of drilling the glenoid from posterior to anterior (using a guide and remaining inside the glenohumeral joint) and using cortical-buttons (instead of screws) for coracoid fixation. In this modern technique, the transpectoral portal makes the arthroscopic safe as it allows the introduction of a spreader to retract the subscapularis muscle and protect the neurovascular structures during transfer and fixation of the coracoid bone block.