Is the version angle of the glenoid different in bone and cartilage? An MRI study

To determine whether or not there is a difference between the version of the bone and cartilage surfaces of the glenoid. Axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) slices were examined in order to evaluate the measurements taken based on both the cartilage and bone joint surfaces.

A retrospective evaluation was made of the MRI scans of 182 patients. All of the reviewers independently measured the glenoid version angles of all of the patients from 1–182. The process was then repeated, with each reviewer taking second measurements of the angles from 1–182. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was applied to evaluate the interaction and relationships between the measurements taken from the bone and cartilage. The intra- and interobserver interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were assessed. Analysis of variance was applied to determine any interobserver significant differences.

The mean glenoid version was determined as –3.58 ± 4.08° in the bone-based measurements and –5.81 ± 4.30° in the cartilage-based measurements. The cartilage- and bone-based measurements were found to have inter- and intraobserver reliability. A statistically significant difference was observed between the mean cartilage-based version and the mean bone-based version. Changes in the cartilage- and bone-based measurements were correlated; however, this change was not linear.

The cartilage-based version showed a significant difference from the bone- based version. Therefore, in the preoperative planning and evaluation of glenoid-based pathologies, it would be more appropriate to evaluate both the bone and cartilage surface on MRI.