Open Repair of an Anterior Humeral Avulsion of the Glenohumeral Ligament

A humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligament, or HAGL lesion, is an uncommon yet disabling shoulder injury, which leads to complaints of pain and overall inability to properly use the shoulder from patients. The diagnosis of a HAGL lesion is particularly challenging. To arrive at an accurate diagnosis, the use of a magnetic resonance arthrogram is suggested along with high clinical suspicion. A HAGL lesion may be anterior or posterior. This difference dictates the type of surgical treatment to be undertaken. Although a posterior HAGL lesion is repaired arthroscopically, an anterior HAGL lesion is treated through an open approach. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe our preferred technique to surgically treat an anterior HAGL lesion through an open approach.