Yamazaki Takaharu

Three-dimensional morphological analysis of humeral heads: a study in cadavers.

Background Anatomy of the humeral head may be of importance for the kinematics of the shoulder joint. We therefore evaluated the three-dimensional morphology of humeral heads. Material and methods We performed three-dimensional morphological analysis of the articular surfaces of 14 humeral heads in the proximal humeri of 7 cadavers. The articular surface was divided into 9 portions, which were in turn equally divided into 3 sections by an angle in supero-inferior and antero-posterior directions. Each portion of the articular surface was fitted to a sphere, and we calculated the radius of the curvature of each portion. Results The mean radius of the superior portion was significantly greater than that of the central portion, and the mean radii of the anterior and posterior portions were significantly less than that of the central portion. Interpretation Our findings lead us to believe that the morphology of the humeral head is of importance for the kinematics of the shoulder joint.