Evaluation of unstable shoulders by computed tomography. A preliminary study.

Three patients who had various types of glenohumeral joint instability, and in whom computed tomography (CT) was utilized as an additional diagnostic modality, are presented. In two of the three patients, routine radiography supplemented with special views documented the presence of a Hill-Sachs lesion; in the third, an equivocal abnormality was apparent. In all three individuals, CT verified the presence of a Hill-Sachs lesion; in one patient, there was also a Bankart deformity. CT represents a new and important modality that may be applied to the diagnostic evaluation of patients with unstable shoulders.