Traumatic Posterior Displacement of the Left Clavicular Head Causing Chronic Extrinsic Compression of the Subclavian Artery

Abstract

In brief: A 30-year-old left-handed recreational baseball player sustained an inadvertent direct blow to his left clavicular head from a bat during batting practice. Starting a month after the injury he complained of increasing claudicating pain. Treatment with analgesics and physical therapy was not successful. A year after the injury, a chest roentgenogram confirmed a diagnosis of fracture-dislocation of the medial left clavicle with callus formation at the fracture site. Subperiosteal resection of the medial half of the left clavicle was performed successfully, and a year later the patient could move his left arm without any pain or limitation of motion.