Superior Labral Lesions eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: The glenoid labrum is a triangular fibrocartilaginous structure that serves to deepen the glenoid. While tears of the anteroinferior labrum have long been known to be associated with significant shoulder pathology, injuries of the superior labrum have really only been appreciated as a potential pathological lesion since the advent of shoulder arthroscopy. The superior labrum often has a more meniscoid attachment to the glenoid rim compared with the remainder of the labrum and therefore may be more susceptible to both degenerative as well as traumatic lesions. It also serves as part of the origin of the long head of the biceps. Injuries to the superior labral biceps complex can compromise the biceps anchor. Furthermore, the repetitive tensile force exerted by the biceps on the superior labrum likely contributes to poor healing of superior labral tears.
Synonyms and related keywords: glenoid labrum, tears of the anteroinferior labrum, shoulder pathology, SLAP lesion, superior labrum anterior and posterior lesion, shoulder injury, throwing injury, dead arm syndrome, O'Brien sign, O'Brien's sign, active-compression test, peel-back phenomena, peel-back sign, Buford complex, Buford's complex, Jobe relocation test, dead arm syndrome, drive-through sign
Author: S Ashfaq Hasan, MD 2006