Atraumatic Scapular Spine Fracture: A Rare Injury in a Patient With Rotator Cuff Arthropathy

Scapular fractures are uncommon, and the spine of the scapula is a particularly rare site of injury. As a result, our knowledge of these injuries, the management options and the functional outcome is limited. We report a rare case of a scapular spine fracture in a patient with rotator cuff arthropat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 12; no. 12; p. e11840
Main Authors McGrath, Jonathan, Hind, Jamie, Hamlet, Mark, Ashwood, Neil
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus 02.12.2020
Subjects
Anatomy
Orthopedics
Trauma
scapula
rotator cuff arthropathy
scapular spine fracture
fracture
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Summary:Scapular fractures are uncommon, and the spine of the scapula is a particularly rare site of injury. As a result, our knowledge of these injuries, the management options and the functional outcome is limited. We report a rare case of a scapular spine fracture in a patient with rotator cuff arthropathy with no obvious history of trauma. The pathophysiology behind this is unclear; however, we suggest that a combination of cuff arthropathy, steroid use and chronic cough contributed to it. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty is commonly used to treat rotator cuff arthropathy, and the effect of scapular spine fractures on surgical outcomes is unknown. It is possible that the deltoid function provides a better indicator of post-operative outcomes.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.11840