[Roentgen diagnosis of shoulder luxation and its concomitant bone injuries]

Among the dislocations of the larger joints of the human body, those of the shoulder are the most frequent ones. They are often associated with osseous lesions, which are of importance in treatment and prognosis. Radiologic diagnostic procedures must take this into consideration in view of the causal mechanisms of trauma. In search for the bony lesions, routine techniques of projection exist which are evidently not always used as often as would be desirable. These projections also help to detect and to accurately locate the dislocation, which may sometimes be difficult to diagnose. Posterior dislocations, for example, are misdiagnosed or overlooked radiologically (and clinically) in about 50% of the cases. This could partly be avoided by the consequent use of a few, but essential projection procedures.