Virtual CT arthroscopy has been recently developing to visualize intra- articular lesions. We made an attempt to use this diagnostic tool for the evaluation of the superior labral lesions. 20-25ml room air was injected into the glenohumeral joint under a fluoroscopy. A multi-slice CT was taken on the shoulder position of the maximum flexion and abduction with two different elbow positions: flexion and extension. This is a clinical test for diagnosing superior labral injury, and named with forced shoulder abduction and elbow flexion test, defined as positive when pain was relieved by elbow flexion. The image data were put into the image reconstruction software, and the joint surface view of the glenoid was obtained. The images were compared between two elbow positions. The long head of the biceps tendon and the superior labral complex was able to be viewed with the 3D shoulder virtual arthroscopy. Type II SLAP lesion could be diagnosed with peel back phenomenon to compare the two images with different elbow positions. 3D virtual images are considered to be essential for preoperative surgical planning, especially arthroscopic surgery. 3D shoulder virtual arthroscopy is also a useful tool to detect type II SLAP lesion.
