Plexus Injury after Reduction of Anterior Caudal Dislocation of the Shoulder

Abstract

The case is reported of a 45-year-old male patient who fell when his ladder slipped away from underneath him. He sustained a bilateral dislocation of the shoulders (bilateral luxatio erecta humeri). The injury on one hand was a glenohumeral dislocation of the humerus head right to ventral and caudal, accompanied by a suspected fracture of the tuberculum major and on the other hand a glenohumeral dislocation of the left humerus head to ventral and caudal, accompanied by a suspected total collum fracture. Based on this case and the pertinent literature, the patho-physiology, diagnosis and treatment of this rare injury are discussed.

After immediate closed reduction, soft tissue damage, fractures or neurovascular lesions should be operated on as soon as possible.

Key Words:

• Shoulder dislocation
• humeral fractures
• plexus injury
• treatment outcome
• CT scan

Additional information

Notes on contributors

F. J. M. P. Somville

F. J. M. P. Somville UIA, Sint Vincentius Hospital Dept. General Surgery Sint-Vincentiusstraat 20 B-2018 Antwerp, Belgium