CT findings in normal and dislocating shoulders

Computed tomographic (CT) scans of the shoulders of 10 normal individuals and six patients with a history of recent or recurrent shoulder dislocation were reviewed. In normal individuals, the surface of the glenoid was smooth and was always within 10 degrees of being perpendicular to the body of the scapula. As scans progressed from cephalad to caudad, the glenoid surface twisted and faced more anteriorly. The center of the humeral head always projected within the central one-third of the glenoid fossa. In the patients with dislocations, CT scans depicted a variety of lesions, including: bony abnormalities of the glenoid surface (fragmentation, fracture, irregularity) in three patients; abnormal glenoid-scapular angles in two; loose bodies in two; subtle subluxation, coracoid fracture, cystic humeral defect, and soft-tissue calcification in one patient each. Scans without intra-articular contrast could not demonstrate capsular or labral abnormalities. CT images are helpful in the pre- and postoperative assessment of some patients with shoulder dislocation.