[Experimental study of dislocations of the scapulohumeral joint]

One may produce easily an experimental dislocation (anterior or erecta) of the scapulohumeral joint. The authors discuss, the experimental model then they describe the anatomical lesion produced through the experimental dislocation of 32 shoulders and the correlation observed after RMI assessment of 24 recurrent dislocations. The tear of the inferior glenohumeral ligament is constant, in 20 per cent of the cases the tear lies on the anterior aspect of the glenoid, in the other cases the tear was found on its humeral side. Whatever the situation of the tear of the inferior glenohumeral ligament, the lesion of the labrum was constant. The erecta dislocation was produced with the same movement but with a particular tear of the glenohumeral ligament: the tear was longitudinal. The experimental dislocation needs, in 7 or 8 cases, a desinsertion of the deep aspect of the rotator cuff. The Hill Sachs lesion occurs when the humerus falls along the chest wall after the dislocation. In 50 per cent of the patients, MRI shows modifications of the cuff which are compatible with our results. Hills Sachs lesions appear to be constant after MRI examination.