Normal variants of the glenoid superior and anterosuperior labrum; case presentation and review of the current literature

  • Spyridon Karampitianis MD
  • Vasileios N. Samdanis MD, MSc, PhD
  • Konstantinos G. Liosis MD, MSci, PhD
  • Mihalis A. Makestas, MD
  • Ioannis K. Triantafyllopoulos, MD, MSci
Keywords: Sublabral recess, sublabral foramen, Buford complex

Abstract

A 22-year-old male professional basketball player underwent shoulder arthroscopy for assessment and treatment of a symptomatic type II SLAP lesion. During the course of arthroscopic evaluation, a cord-like middle glenohumeral ligament was identified in conjunction with absence of the antero-superior labrum (Buford complex). The detached biceps tendon anchor was subsequently repaired by means of diathermy debridement and suture anchors fixation. The Buford complex was readily identified and ignored. The patient had an excellent result in terms of pain control and shoulder function during follow-up and was eventually discharged from clinic after 12 weeks. Normal variants of the superior and antero-superior labrum are increasingly identified during shoulder arthroscopy and do not necessitate repair since they are not regarded as independent contributors to shoulder instability.

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Author Biographies

Spyridon Karampitianis MD

5th Orthopedic Department, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece

Vasileios N. Samdanis MD, MSc, PhD

5th Orthopedic Department, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece

Konstantinos G. Liosis MD, MSci, PhD

5th Orthopedic Department, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece

Mihalis A. Makestas, MD

5th Orthopedic Department, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece

Ioannis K. Triantafyllopoulos, MD, MSci

5th Orthopedic Department, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece

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Published
2021-08-20