Glenoid dysplasia: incidence and association with posterior labral tears as evaluated on MRI

Glenoid dysplasia is known to predispose affected patients to accelerated degenerative joint disease. We have observed that there is often an association between glenoid dysplasia and posterior labral tears. Our goal was to assess glenoid dysplasia as seen on MRI and to assess its association with posterior labral tears.

In our study population, we found that moderate to severe glenoid dysplasia is not a rare entity as seen on MRI, with an incidence of 14.3%. Furthermore, we found that there is a statistically significant increase in the incidence of posterior labral tears associated with shoulders with moderate or severe glenoid dysplasia compared with those shoulders with no dysplasia or mild dysplasia as evaluated on MRI. Even when the mild cases were included, the incidence of posterior labral tears was significantly increased versus healthy subjects, indicating that even mild cases of glenoid dysplasia may be clinically relevant.