Finding the Truth: Cadaver and CT scan Study of Differences in Glenoid Width Size in the Indian Population

Glenoid mass issues have been extensively published in the recent literature. The controversy arose from our need to compare and obtain the appropriate implant size for reverse shoulder arthroplasty patients. Some well-known authors and surgeons say that Indian patients have a smaller glenoid than their Western friends and patients. Therefore, we decided to examine the glenoid size obtained on a computed tomography (CT) scan and the size obtained on a cadaver, preferably the same cadaver in tertiary care medical school. Necessary permissions were obtained from the relatives of the cadaver, the ethical board, the anatomy department, and the radiology department.

We evaluated 3D CT scans of 100 patients from our medical college during the global pandemic. Of these, we evaluated only 12 patients whose families agreed to postmortem studies and CT scans. Our research focuses on the shoulder of non-orthopedic diseases conducted at KCGMCH and measured the glenoid height, width, and version using a commercially available computer.

The mean age of the patients was 38.5 (range 19-59). The mean glenoid height was 33.8 ± 3.2 mm, maximum glenoid width was 24.3 ± 2.2 mm. The mean glenoid version is 3.48 ± 4 retrospectively. The glenoid width appears to be 23-25 mm on CT scan film, which is similar to cadaver studies.

The findings from the cadaver study indicate that the average glenoid size is smaller in the Indian demographic when compared to CT scans. Glenoid width is less in one subset of the population, especially female patients than of the average population than Westerners. However, our studies are limited by the small size of the population and a larger study is recommended in our institution in the future. A better understanding of this glenoid size could help us design a smaller glenoid plate plan, especially for patients in the Indian subcontinent.