REVIEW ARTICLE The glenoid track: a review of the clinical relevance, method of calculation and current evidence behind this method Yara Younan 1 & Philip K. Wong 1 & Spero Karas 2 & Monica Umpierrez 1 & Felix Gonzalez 1 & Jean Jose 3 & Adam Daniel Singer 1 Received: 3 April 2017 /Revised: 12 May 2017 /Accepted: 24 May 2017 # ISS 2017 Abstract In the setting of bipolar bone injury, orthopedic surgeons are currently making use of the glenoid track method to guide surgical management. Using preoperative CT or MR imaging, this method allows the identification of patients who are more likely to fail a primary capsuloligamentous Bankart repair. As the glenoid track method becomes increasingly used in preoperative planning, it is important for the radiologist to become familiar with its concept and method of calculation. This review article aims to concisely summarize the current literature and the clinical implications of the glenoid track method. Keywords Glenoid track . On-track . Off-track . Bankart . Remplissage . Latarjet . Shoulder Abbreviations MRI Magnetic resonance imaging CT Computed tomography ROI Region of interest Introduction The glenohumeral joint is an inherently unstable joint, with shoulder dislocations accounting for nearly 50% of all disloca- tions [1]. The vast majority of these injuries are traumatic ante- rior dislocations with a high frequency of recurrent instability, necessitating surgical intervention. The arthroscopic primary capsulolabral Bankart repair is currently the most widely used initial surgical intervention, although recurrent instability with this procedure has been reported in up to 35% of cases [2]. Investigators have sought to determine methods to predict which patients are at the highest risk of a Bankart repair failure [2–8]. Relatively recently, investigators have described the glenoid track method as an accurate and reproducible way to achieve this goal [9]. As this method continues to become more widely known and used among orthopedic surgeons, it is im- portant for radiologists to become familiar with the method of calculation and clinical implications of the glenoid track. This review article aims to concisely summarize the current literature and give a brief overview of the recommended surgical algo- rithm, techniques and imaging findings. Impact of bipolar bone loss If the glenohumeral joint is considered to be constructed of two poles, with one pole being the glenoid and the other being the humeral head, a bipolar bone injury would involve osse- ous damage to both sides of the joint. Earlier studies designed to predict recurrent instability did not emphasize the impact of bipolar bone injuries. Prior to the description of the glenoid track, the focus of recurrent instability was directed at the capsulolabral complex (the glenoid labrum, capsule and glenohumeral ligaments), in addition to the glenoid bone it- self. Typically, in the absence of glenoid bone loss, the glenoid * Yara Younan yara.younan16@gmail.com 1 Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Section of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Emory University Hospital, 59 Executive Park South, 4th Floor, Suite 4009, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA 2 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA, USA 3 Department of Radiology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA Skeletal Radiol DOI 10.1007/s00256-017-2687-5