Preoperative planning of recurrent shoulder dislocation requires an accurate knowledge of bone and soft tissue lesions affecting the joint. A new method of double-contrast CT examination is presented which allows an accurate evaluation of the soft tissue structures important for the stability of the joint. Forty-two patients were examined with this technique, twenty-seven of whom (28 shoulders) were operated on, the procedure being selected on the basis of the CT findings. In all cases the preoperative CT findings corresponded to the intraoperative findings.