Arthritis from a prominent suture anchor - anchor arthropathy

Here are the films of a man in his mid twenties who had a shoulder repair for recurrent instability 8 years ago. He now can perform only 5 of the 12 functions of the simple shoulder test. His x-rays suggest that one of the suture anchors used in his instability repair has become prominent.

Comment: The challenge with suture anchors placed on the glenoid surface is that they may appear to be buried beneath the surface of the cartilage at the time surgery, but with a small amount of cartilage wear or a slight shift in the position of the anchor, part of it becomes prominent so that it can rub on the humeral surface leading to secondary arthritis. 

This is a particularly serious issue in a very young patient and demonstrates that shoulder arthritis in young individuals is usually a different condition that what is commonly seen in individuals over the age of 50.

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