Evaluation of the anatomical and radiological morphometry of the humeral head and glenoid cavity in healthy individuals

The scapula has a complex anatomy due to its unique irregular shape. Located between the second and seventh ribs, the scapula acts as a connection point in the proximal-distal sequence, contributing to the strength, speed and energy of shoulder function. The aim of this study is to evaluate the caput humeri and cavitas glenoidalis in healthy Turkish individuals from a morphometric perspective, both anatomically and radiologically; to analyse the possible relationships between these structures and the effects of demographic variables; and to determine reference values specific to the Turkish population.The study included 190 healthy individuals aged between 20 and 60 who visited Adana Medline Hospital and Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital for various reasons between 2020 and 2025 and had Computed Tomography images. Of the 190 participants in the study, 80 were male and 110 were female. The mean age of the 80 healthy male participants in the study was 36.98±10.01 years, while the mean age of the female participants was calculated as 37.42±8.39 years. No significant differences were found between genders in the age parameter (p>0,05). When evaluating the scapula and related structures in terms of age groups, it was observed that the humeral head inclination, humeral head diameter in the axial plane, upper width of the glenoid cavity, semi-diameter of curvature of the glenoid cavity, and critical shoulder angle parameters changed significantly with age (p < 0.05). The humeral head diameter in the frontal plane, humeral head length, humeral head semi-diameter, humeral head diameter in the sagittal plane, humeral head diameter in the axial plane, cavitas glenoidalis height, cavitas glenoidalis middle width, cavitas glenoidalis upper width, cavitas glenoidalis lower width, cavitas glenoidalis curvature semi-radialis and cavitas glenoidalis version showed significant differences between females and males, with all values except humeral head inclination, critical shoulder angle, and glenoid cavity version being higher in men than in females. Understanding the relationship between the anatomical structures of the scapula and morphometric measurements is of great importance in clinical practice. The findings obtained in this study indicate that measurements of the scapula are an important determinant in areas such as sports injuries, prosthesis design, and surgical interventions. Furthermore, knowledge of scapular anatomy and morphometry is expected to provide valuable contributions in both clinical and basic science fields, such as orthopaedics, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and forensic medicine, particularly in the assessment of bone pathologies and the identification of ethnic differences. Within the scope of the study, reference values for the scapula and related anatomical structures were established using data obtained from healthy individuals.