Culture Analysis Performed During a Latarjet Anterior Shoulder Stabilization Procedure.

Infection is a major cause of failure in shoulder arthroplasty and must be systematically sought at the time of revision, even if this is motivated by other complications (loosening, instability, periprosthetic fracture).

These cultures, performed in patients without clinical suspicion of infection, reveal, in 25 to 60% of cases, the presence of germs of cutaneous origin which, although generally considered to be non-virulent, continue to be debated as to their clinical significance and their implication in the failure of shoulder arthroplasty. Among these germs, propionibacterium acnes, staphylococcus epidermidis or coagulasenegative Staphylococcus are the most frequently identified.

The origin of these germs is still debated. Cultures of deep synovial fluid or tissues from patients receiving a first-line shoulder prosthesis show the presence of Cutibacterium acnes in 9% to 41% of cases despite preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. These infections could be the consequence of contamination by a commensal germ during surgical exposure. Other authors consider them as an etiological factor in the development of shoulder arthritis. They would be more frequent in young subjects and male subjects.

The Latarjet procedure or coracoid bone block is commonly used in the surgical treatment of anterior shoulder instability.

It consists of cutting the coracoid bone with the coraco-biceps muscle that inserts on it, then passing it through the subscapularis muscle and fixing it on the scapula, thus creating a bone block. It can be performed by a conventional mini-invasive technique after an incision of 4 to 5 cm on the front of the shoulder or by arthroscopy.