Iliac Crest Bone Grafting for the Management of Anterior Shoulder Instability in Patients with Glenoid Bone Loss: a Systematic Review of Contemporary Literature

Background A number of clinical trials have been published assessing the role of iliac crest bone grafting for the management of recurrent anterior instability with glenoid bone loss in contemporary practice. We therefore performed a systematic review of contemporary literature to examine the effect of iliac crest bone grafting on postoperative outcomes of these patients. Our hypothesis is that contemporary iliac crest bone block techniques are associated with low reoperation and complication rates combined with satisfactory functional results. Methods The US National Library of Medicine (PubMed/MEDLINE), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and EMBASE were searched between January 2008 and December 2019 for relevant publications. Results Following the application of the inclusion-exclusion criteria, nine articles were found eligible for our analysis. In total, 261 patients (mean age range, 25.5–37.5 years; mean follow-up range, 20.6–42 months) were included in the studies of the current review. The mean modified Coleman score was 48.6 (range 37–65), indicating an overall low-to-moderate methodological quality. In the short term, the overall all-cause reoperation rate was 6.1%, while the rate of recurrent instability was 4.8%. The graft non-union rate was 2.2%, while the rate of osteolysis, graft fracture, and infection was 0.4%, 0.9%, and 1.7%, respectively. Finally, hardware-related complications, such as screw breakage or symptomatic mechanical irritation around the screw insertion, occurred in 3.9% of the patients. Conclusions Iliac crest bone block techniques in contemporary practice are safe and effective in the short-term (< 4 years) follow-up for the management of anterior shoulder instability with substantial glenoid bone deficiency. However, further studies of higher quality and longer follow-up are required to establish the therapeutic value of these techniques as well as to clarify whether there are differences in the outcomes of arthroscopic and open iliac crest bone block procedures.