Glenohumeral Contact Pressure With Simulated Anterior Labral and Osseous Defects in Cadaveric Shoulders Before and After Soft Tissue Repair

Background: Glenoid rim fractures and erosion can result from traumatic and repeated shoulder dislocations, leading to glenoid bone loss. Traditional instability surgery includes Bankart repair to restore soft tissue anatomy, although a recent trend is to address glenoid bone deficiency when appropriate with a bone block procedure. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify glenohumeral joint contact pressures as a function of anterior labral detachment, progressive anterior glenoid bone loss, and labral repair. The hypothesis was that a critical glenoid defect size exists whereby labral repair alone cannot restore joint contact pressures, therefore favoring bone block augmentation over soft tissue repair. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were tested under a 440-N compressive load simulating glenohumeral abduction positions of 30° and 60° in neutral rotation and 60° with 90° of external rotation. Glenohumeral joint contact pressures were recorded with a Tekscan pressure sensor system in these configurations: (1) intact specimen, (2) Bankart lesion, (3) 10% anterior rim bone defect, (4) 10% bone defect with labral repair, (5) 20% bone defect, (6) 20% bone defect with labral repair, (7) 30% bone defect, and (8) 30% bone defect with labral repair. The joint contact pressures were compared at all configurations. Results: The Bankart lesion and 10%, 20%, and 30% glenoid defects showed significant (P < .05) increases in mean contact pressures over baseline values. Labral repair at 10% bone loss reduced mean contact pressures to below the intact state, and labral repair of 20% defects demonstrated normalized mean contact pressures. However, mean contact pressures remained statistically elevated compared with baseline values after labral repair of 30% glenoid defects. Conclusion: Glenohumeral joint contact pressures were restored to baseline values after labral repair of 10% and 20% anterior glenoid bone defects. Conversely, labral repair at 30% glenoid bone loss did not restore glenohumeral contact mechanics, yielding elevated contact pressures despite repair. Further study is warranted to investigate the stability (resistance to dislocations) of the glenohumeral joint after labral repair and bone block augmentation. Clinical Relevance: A critical glenoid defect size exists in which labral repair alone does not restore normal glenohumeral contact pressures. Surgeons should carefully evaluate glenoid bone loss before selecting a surgical treatment for shoulder instability.