Athlete shoulder injuries: CT arthrographic findings

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Persistent shoulder pain significantly impacts athletic performance.
• Accurate diagnosis of shoulder instability and labral lesions is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of computed tomographic (CT) arthrography in diagnosing glenohumeral instability and labral lesions in athletes with shoulder pain.
• To correlate CT arthrographic findings with clinical and surgical outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Forty-three professional and amateur athletes with persistent shoulder pain underwent CT arthrography.
• Diagnosis of glenohumeral instability was based on labral and capsular lesions identified via CT arthrography.
• Findings were correlated with arthroscopic or surgical results in a subset of patients.

Main Results:

• CT arthrography diagnosed glenohumeral instability in 19 athletes, characterized by labral and capsular lesions.
• The imaging was crucial for diagnosing instability in six athletes where clinical assessment was inconclusive.
• Other findings included labral tears not associated with instability, segmental labral enlargement, and abnormal labral orientation.
• Early degenerative changes were noted in many athletes, particularly those with extensive sports histories.

Conclusions:

• CT arthrography is a valuable tool for diagnosing shoulder instability and labral injuries in athletes.
• It provides critical diagnostic information, especially when clinical evaluation is equivocal.
• The technique can identify various labral pathologies and early degenerative changes in the athletic shoulder.