Glenohumeral Chondrolysis After Shoulder Arthroscopy

Description: • Chondrolysis of the shoulder, (rapid dissolution of the articular cartilage), is being diagnosed with increased frequency since the advent of shoulder arthroscopy. • No definitive etiology has been identified, although strong associations have been made with the use of thermal devices and with the administration of intra-articular anesthetics. • Management of glenohumeral chondrolysis is problematic as many of the patients are very young for treatment with conventional total shoulder arthroplasty.
• We have analyzed the existing literature along with a series of new cases in search of factors that may contribute to the development of chondrolysis.
Full text Univ Washington Research Report 2009 WINSTON J. WARME, M.D., PETER T. SCHEFFEL, M.D., JEREMIAH M. CLINTON, M.D., JOSEPH R. LYNCH, M.D., AND FREDERICK A. MATSEN III, M.D.