Clinical and radiological examination of bony-mediated shoulder instability

The coexistence of glenoid and humeral head bone defects may increase the risk of recurrence of instability after soft tissue repair. Revealed factors in medical history such as male gender, younger age of dislocation, an increasing number of dislocations, contact sports, and manual work or epilepsy may increase the recurrence rate of instability. In physical examination, positive bony apprehension test, catching and crepitations in shoulder movement may suggest osseous deficiency. Anteroposterior and axial views allow for the detection of particular bony lesions in patients with recurrent anterior shoulder instability. Computed Tomography (CT) with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and various types of 3D rendering in 2D (quasi-3D-CT) and 3D (true-3D-CT) space allows not only detection of glenoid and humeral bone defects but most of all their quantification and relations (engaging/not-engaging and on-track/off-track) in the context of bipolar lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly developing and can provide an equally accurate measurement tool for bone assessment, avoiding radiation exposure for the patient. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:815-827. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.200049