Iannotti et al. measured humeral head and glenoid dimensions in 140 shoulders — 96 cadaveric dissections and 44 MRI studies — to define normal glenohumeral anatomy. The goal was to provide quantitative parameters guiding shoulder arthroplasty design and intraoperative implant selection. This is the foundational normative dataset underlying modern modular shoulder arthroplasty systems.
When the Neer prosthesis was introduced, it offered one radius of curvature with only two thickness options — designed for the mid-range of anatomy. This paper quantified exactly how much anatomic variation that design leaves unaddressed.
When you plan a shoulder arthroplasty, use the patient's height and sex to anticipate head size before you open the chest: men cluster at 23–28 mm radius, women at 19–22 mm. Intraoperatively, confirm lateral offset by measuring from the coracoid base to the greater tuberosity. The native value should be restored to within a few millimeters to preserve deltoid and rotator cuff moment arms.
Always seat the humeral head so its apex sits above (cephalad to) the greater tuberosity by roughly 8 mm. A proud tuberosity impinges; a sunken head unloads the cuff. Select a glenoid component with a radius of curvature 2–3 mm larger than the humeral head. This paper is why every modern glenoid is intentionally mismatched, allowing the translational motion that is normal at this joint.
Iannotti et al. measured humeral head and glenoid dimensions in 140 shoulders — 96 cadaveric dissections and 44 MRI studies — to define normal glenohumeral anatomy. The goal was to provide quantitative parameters guiding shoulder arthroplasty design and intraoperative implant selection. This is the foundational normative dataset underlying modern modular shoulder arthroplasty systems.
When the Neer prosthesis was introduced, it offered one radius of curvature with only two thickness options — designed for the mid-range of anatomy. This paper quantified exactly how much anatomic variation that design leaves unaddressed.
When you plan a shoulder arthroplasty, use the patient's height and sex to anticipate head size before you open the chest: men cluster at 23–28 mm radius, women at 19–22 mm. Intraoperatively, confirm lateral offset by measuring from the coracoid base to the greater tuberosity. The native value should be restored to within a few millimeters to preserve deltoid and rotator cuff moment arms.
Always seat the humeral head so its apex sits above (cephalad to) the greater tuberosity by roughly 8 mm. A proud tuberosity impinges; a sunken head unloads the cuff. Select a glenoid component with a radius of curvature 2–3 mm larger than the humeral head. This paper is why every modern glenoid is intentionally mismatched, allowing the translational motion that is normal at this joint.