Large substantial tears of the anterior capsule are infrequently described lesions associated with recurrent anterior shoulder instability (RASI). We reviewed three patients in a series of 295 patients with RASI who underwent Bankart procedures or its modification, where significant capsular tears were found. The three patients were all men aged from 20 to 24 years at the time of the initial traumatic dislocation. The intervals between the time of the initial dislocation and that of surgery

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... ed from 8 to 24 months, and the total numbers of dislocations in that interval ranged between four and five. The anterior apprehension test was positive in all cases, but the absolute amount of anterior instability varied.