Quantitative Musculoskeletal Imaging of the Pediatric Shoulder.
Caleb M A Cordes, Joshua M Leonardis, Jonathan Samet and 3 others
PMID 38713590WHAT IT FOUND
Quantitative imaging of children's shoulders is mostly used for brachial plexus birth palsy, but adult norms do not fit growing shoulders.
Anatomically reformatted imaging can change reported glenoid version and humeral head position, so standard readings may misclassify.
Key findings
01Most published work on quantitative pediatric shoulder imaging concerns brachial plexus birth palsy, not other pediatric shoulder conditions.
02Because pediatric shoulder maturation varies and ossification centers can look like pathology, adult quantitative imaging guidelines cannot be applied to children.
03In children with brachial plexus birth palsy, on the involved side, standard clinically measured glenoid version can differ from anatomically reformatted measures by up to 25 degrees, and standard humeral head position can be up to 30% lower.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review, so it does not describe how studies were searched or selected. It reports no original patients, outcomes, or treatment comparisons, so it cannot show that imaging changes care or improves recovery. Most content concerns brachial plexus birth palsy, so it provides little guidance for other pediatric shoulder conditions. Several imaging measures are described as promising or needing validation, not as established clinical tools.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as evidence that quantitative imaging improves pediatric shoulder outcomes. It summarizes imaging descriptions and gaps, and it does not test whether using these measures changes treatment or patient recovery.