THE ANATOMY OF THE GLENOHUMERAL LIGAMENTOUS COMPLEX AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO ANTERIOR SHOULDER STABILITY

One hundred four enbalmed cadaver shoulders were evaluated. With a dor sal approach we opened the dorsal capsule after resecting the infraspi natus and teres minor muscles. For reaching the anterior capsule and t he glenohumeral ligaments, the humeral head was resected. In this way we could quantify and qualify the glenohumeral ligaments and classify the synovial recesses based on the classification system of DePalma in to type I to VI. Secondary signs of shoulder instability were document ed. The superior glenohumeral ligament was missing in 6 (5.8%) shoulde rs, the middle glenohumeral ligament in 16 (15.4%) shoulders, and the inferior glenohumeral ligament in 7 (6.8%) shoulders. Most of the syno vial recesses belonged to group 1 (38.5%) and III (46.2%). As a second ary sign of instability four shoulders had a Hill-Sachs fracture and a bony Bankart lesion. All four shoulders had no middle glenohumeral li gament and a large anterior type IV recess.