SUPRASCAPULAR NOTCH: A MORPHOMETRIC AND MORPHOLOGIC STUDY IN NORTH INDIAN POPULATION

Background: The suprascapular notch is a semicircular notch located at the superior border of the scapula, just medial to the base of the coracoid process which constitutes the main site of compression of the suprascapular nerve. The aim of present study is to study morphological variations of the suprascapular notch in the North Indian population, classify the suprascapular notch into various types and to correlate the type of notch to the incidence of suprascapular nerve entrapment syndrome. Materials and Methods: Material for the present study comprised of 100 adult scapulae (Right : Left :: 50:50) of unknown age and sex, obtained from Department of Anatomy, Govt. Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India. Results: Suprascapular notch was present in 95% bones, was transversely oval in 66%, vertical diameter = 5.9mm (3.29-16.80mm), transverse diameter = 5.96mm(2.93-13.70mm), distance from the base of suprascapular notch to the superior rim of glenoid = 29.98mm (21.7-39.25mm). It was classified as per Natsis et al classification into type I (20%), type II (39%), type III (34%), type IV (5%) and type V (2%). Our results were compared with the studies of other authors. Conclusions: The knowledge of classification and the anatomical variations of suprascapular notch helps the clinician to define easily and quickly the type of notch and be able to correlate suprascapular nerve entrapment with a specific type of notch.