Classifications in Brief: Walch Classification of Primary Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis

Excerpt

Morphologic features in primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis do not appear in the same ways in all patients. Neer et al. [21] noted that posterior glenoid wear and posterior humeral head subluxation commonly occur in primary glenohumeral arthritis. Using linear measurements with CT, Friedman et al. [7] reported their observations of excessive glenoid retroversion. Despite acknowledgment of the various glenoid morphologic features and glenohumeral relationships that are associated with glenohumeral arthritis [7, 21], it was only in 1999 that Walch et al. [29] classified these commonly observed features. In an effort to clarify etiology, progression, and treatment, Denard and Walch [4] and Walch et al. [29] used CT to classify morphologic features of the glenoid in primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis based on the concepts of glenoid version and the glenohumeral subluxation index. …