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Inferior glenohumeral ligament (IGHL) complex: anatomy, injuries, imaging features, and treatment options

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Abstract

The inferior glenohumeral ligament (IGHL) complex is comprised of three components supporting the inferior aspect of the shoulder. It consists of an anterior band, a posterior band, and an interposed axillary pouch. Injuries to the IGHL complex have a unifying clinical history of traumatic shoulder injury, which are often sports or fall-related, with the biomechanical mechanism, positioning of the arm, and individual patient factors determining the specific component of the ligamentous complex that is injured, the location of the injury of those components, and the degree of bone involvement. Several acronyms are employed to characterize these features, specifying whether there is involvement of a portion of the anterior band, posterior band, or midsubstance, and if there is avulsion from the humeral attachment, glenoid attachment, or both. Imaging recommendations for the evaluation of the IGHL complex include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and injuries to this complex are best visualized with magnetic resonance arthrography. Additionally, a brief description of clinical management of inferior glenohumeral ligament injuries is included.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Debbie M. Forester, who passed away last year. She was a powerful force in musculoskeletal radiology for her entire career and was a loving clinical instructor within the department at LAC+USC and co-author on the original educational exhibit from which this paper derives. We would also like to thank Nina H. Vuong, MS, MBA, for her technical assistance with the initial preparation of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to George R. Matcuk Jr..

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Passanante, G.J., Skalski, M.R., Patel, D.B. et al. Inferior glenohumeral ligament (IGHL) complex: anatomy, injuries, imaging features, and treatment options. Emerg Radiol 24, 65–71 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-016-1431-0

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