Avascular necrosis of the shoulder, x-ray appearance

Avascular necrosis is a condition in which the blood supply to the humeral head is compromised, resulting in death and eventual collapse of the humeral joint surface. Common contributing factors are steroid medications, alcoholism, fracture, prior surgery and inflammatory joint disease. A typical case is shown here. And here is another.

As we've emphasized before (see here), two plain x-rays are necessary and sufficient to make most diagnoses of shoulder arthritis.

Here is an anteroposterior (AP) and an axillary view typical of shoulders with avascular necrosis.

The upper view, the AP shows complete collapse of the humeral head with minimal glenoid deformity.

The standardized axillary view reveals much more of the pathology: glenoid is convex and the concave humeral head is collapsed around it.

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Here are some videos that are of shoulder interest
Shoulder arthritis - what you need to know (see this link).
How to x-ray the shoulder (see this link).
The ream and run procedure (see this link).
The total shoulder arthroplasty (see this link).
The cuff tear arthropathy arthroplasty (see this link).
The reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (see this link).
The smooth and move procedure for irreparable rotator cuff tears (see this link).
Shoulder rehabilitation exercises (see this link)