The relationship between glenoid osteometry and recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability

The most common joint to dislocate is the glenohumeral joint, resulting in chronic pain and limited function. The role of the capsuloligamentous structures and muscle balance in contributing to shoulder stability has been well documented in the literature but the case is not the same for the bony anatomy of the glenoid. There is limited data on the contribution of glenoid osteometry in increasing the risk of anterior shoulder dislocation. This study sought to find out the association between anterior glenohumeral instability and glenoid anteversion/inclination. A retrospective, case-control study was carried out. The study was carried out at the Departments of Radiology and Imaging at two university hospitals. Shoulder Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans for 45 patients aged between 18 to 45 years with recurrent anterior shoulder instability were used in the study and compared with a control consisting of shoulder MRIs of 45 patients with other shoulder pathologies but having no incidences of dislocation. A structured data collection tool was used to collect the data. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The mean age for all the participants was 32.0 (SD 9.0) years. The mean age for the cases was 29.0 (SD 8.7) years, while for the controls was 34.6 (SD 8.5) years. The glenoid was anteverted in 40% and 35.6% of cases and controls respectively (p = 1.00) and retroverted in 60% and 64.4% of cases and controls respectively (p =0.666). Most of the glenoids were superiorly inclined (91.1% and 93.3% for cases and controls respectively. The differences in the glenoid version and inclination between the cases and controls were not statistically significant (p = 0.288 and p = 0.489 for the glenoid version and inclination respectively. Glenoid version and inclination are not significantly increased in patients with anterior shoulder instability compared to unmatched controls.