Modification of the Bankart reconstruction with a suture anchor.  Report of a new technique. 
We assessed the effectiveness of a new suture anchor that has been designed to anchor sutures into a blind, straight hole drilled in bone.  The strength of fixation in glenoid bone is 67 N for the No.  0 anchor and suture, and 82 N for the No.  2 device with suture.  During 1988 and 1989, 32 patients underwent a modified Bankart reconstruction for recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability at two centers as part of a prospective study of this modified technique.  There were no complications as a result of the technique.  The four surgeons involved agreed that the suture anchor simplified the procedure.  Seventeen patients have been reviewed, with more than 1 year followup.  Ninety-four percent had good to excellent results according to the Bankart rating scale.  There was one recurrent dislocation in a football player.