Editorial Commentary: Identifying the Large Glenoid Labrum Tear Is Not as Easy as it May Seem

Abstract

Labrum tears involving >270° of the glenoid have been termed "circumferential tears," "panlabral tears," "triple lesions," and "large tears." They are rare injuries that encompass anywhere from 2.4% to 6.5% of traumatic labral injuries. Given their rare nature, the literature has been limited to level IV studies with small patient numbers. Identifying these injuries in the clinical setting can be challenging, as patients can present with signs and symptoms of unidirectional instability, combined instability, or even microinstability. However, we know that magnetic resonance arthrography seems to be more helpful than magnetic resonance imaging, and that these patients will most often present with pain in between multiple instability episodes. Given that the gold standard treatment for these injuries is operative intervention, recognizing them as opposed to an isolated unidirectional injury is critical for surgical planning and patient counseling purposes. Isolating other demographic and historical risk factors in addition to physical examination and imaging may be key in making the diagnosis.