Is the bare spot a valid landmark for glenoid evaluation in arthroscopic Bankart surgery?

The "bare spot "of the glenoid cavity has recently been described as a consistent reference point to identify the center of the glenoid and to quantify the extent of antero-inferior bone loss of the glenoid following anterior shoulder dislocation. The spot should help the surgeon to determine arthroscopically the width of the remaining inferior glenoid cavity. In this study we prospectively compared arthroscopic images and the multidetector spiral CT arthrographic findings recorded in 58 consecutive patients (mean age, 47 years; range: 17-72 years) with respect to glenohumeral cartilage quality and the presence of a "bare spot". At arthroscopy the "bare spot" was visible in less than 48% of cases and with spiral CT arthrography in less than 26% of cases. We concluded that the "bare spot" seems to be an unreliable landmark to determine the center of the inferior glenoid cavity, as it was present in only half of the shoulders studied.