Bipolar Bone Defects in Shoulders With Primary Instability: Dislocation Versus Subluxation.

Background: In shoulders with traumatic anterior instability, a bipolar bone defect has been recognized as an important indicator of the prognosis.

Purpose: To investigate bipolar bone defects at primary instability and compare the difference between dislocation and subluxation.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: There were 156 shoulders (156 patients) including 91 shoulders with dislocation and 65 shoulders with subluxation. Glenoid defects and Hill-Sachs lesions were classified into 5 size categories on 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) scans and were allocated scores ranging from 0 (no defect) to 4 points (very large defect). To assess the combined size of the glenoid defect and Hill-Sachs lesion, the scores for both lesions were summed (range, 0-8 points). Patients in the dislocation and subluxation groups were compared regarding the prevalence of a glenoid defect, a bone fragment of bony Bankart lesion, a Hill-Sachs lesion, a bipolar bone defect, and an off-track Hill-Sachs lesion. Then, the combined size of the bipolar bone defects was compared between the dislocation and subluxation groups and among patients stratified by age at the time of CT scanning (<20, 20-29, and ≥30 years).

Results: Hill-Sachs lesions were observed more frequently in the dislocation group (75.8%) compared with the subluxation group (27.7%; < .001), whereas the prevalence of glenoid defects was not significantly different between groups (36.3% vs 29.2%, respectively; = .393). The combined defect size was significantly larger in the dislocation versus subluxation group (mean ± SD combined defect score, 2.1 ± 1.6 vs 0.8 ± 0.9 points, respectively; < .001) due to a larger Hill-Sachs lesion at dislocation than subluxation (glenoid defect score, 0.5 ± 0.9 vs 0.3 ± 0.6 points [ = .112]; Hill-Sachs lesion score, 1.6 ± 1.2 vs 0.4 ± 0.7 points [ < .001]). Combined defect size was larger in older patients than younger patients in the setting of dislocation (combined defect score, <20 years, 1.6 ± 1.2 points; 20-29 years, 1.9 ± 1.5 points; ≥30 years, 3.4 ± 1.6 points; < .001) but was not different in the setting of subluxation (0.8 ± 1.0, 0.7 ± 0.9, and 0.8 ± 0.8 points, respectively; = .885). An off-track Hill-Sachs lesion was observed in 2 older patients with dislocation but was not observed in shoulders with subluxation.

Conclusion: The bipolar bone defect was significantly more frequent, and the combined size was greater in shoulders with primary dislocation and in older patients (≥30 years).