ALPSA lesion
 | Template:Wikify is deprecated. Please use a more specific cleanup template as listed in the documentation. |
 |
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (December 2009) |
ALPSA : anterior labral periosteal sleeve avulsion.
Lesion at the front of the shoulder associated with shoulder dislocation.
ANATOMY:
The shoulder joint is made up of the glenoid and humeral head. The humeral head is ball shaped but the glenoid is more dish shaped than cup shaped. To aid stability of the joint, the glenoid has a soft tissue bumper around its edge (the labrum) which acts as a bumper preventing dislocation of the head from the glenoid.
PATHOLOGY:
The anterior (front) labrum can peel off the glenoid resulting in a Bankart lesion. When the periosteum (fibrous tissue surrounding bone) peels off as well this is called an ALSPA lesion. When this happens the labrum (bumper) falls away and rolls up. It normally falls medially and downwards.
SURGERY:
If required, the labrum and periosteum can be reattached, recreating the bumper affect, aiding shoulder stability and hopefully preventing further dislocation. It can be done by keyhole or open surgery. It can not always be repaired though.