The aim of this work was to validate an algorithm that quantifies the locus of
glenohumeral ligaments (GHL) attachments on glenohumeral joint (GHJ)
bones.
A computed tomography scan of a GHJ was segmented to reconstruct the
humerus, scapula, anatomical neck (AN) and glenoid rim (GR) into 3-D
meshes of interconnecting nodal-vectors. These were applied to construct a
‘clock face’ coordinate system in which three o’clock points anteriorly.
Based on the assigned clock face coordinate frame and the fitted plane, the
error between the fitted plane and the actual bony node were quantified
through manual data extraction. This was tested on 50 specimens.
Mean algorithm quantification errors for GHL attachments were 4.8mm (SD
2.2mm) and 4.5mm (1.7mm) for the humerus and glenoid, respectively.
Further studies would apply this to investigate GHL length changes during
function and may suggest how these structures should be handled during
surgical repairs.