Fracture of the scapular neck combined with rotator cuff tear: A case report

Scapular fracture has a low incidence rate, accounting for 0.4%-0.9% of all fractures, and scapular neck fractures are extremely rare, comprising approximately 7%-25% of all scapular fractures. Scapular neck fractures are often studied as case reports mostly accompanied by other injuries, thus leadi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inWorld journal of clinical cases Vol. 8; no. 24; pp. 6450 - 6455
Main Authors Chen, Lei, Liu, Cai-Long, Wu, Peng
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 26.12.2020
Subjects
Case Report
Rotator cuff tear
Case report
Scapular fractures
Scapular neck fractures
Glenohumeral dislocation
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Scapular fracture has a low incidence rate, accounting for 0.4%-0.9% of all fractures, and scapular neck fractures are extremely rare, comprising approximately 7%-25% of all scapular fractures. Scapular neck fractures are often studied as case reports mostly accompanied by other injuries, thus leading to confusion. All previous cases of scapular neck fractures are not associated with rotator cuff injuries. A 62-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department 6 h after his right shoulder and back were impacted by heavy objects. The patient presented chest tightness and shortness of breath. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed pneumohemothorax, multiple rib fractures, and right scapula fractures. Three-dimensional CT reconstruction of the right shoulder joint showed a trans-spinous scapular neck fracture with a glenohumeral joint dislocation. Rotator cuff injury was suspected because the patient had a glenohumeral joint dislocation and was then confirmed by shoulder magnetic resonance imaging. A staged surgery was performed, including open reduction and internal fixation of the right scapula fracture and repairing of rotator cuff by right shoulder arthroscopy. At the 5-mo follow-up, the fracture line was blurred and the shoulder joint function was good. Fracture of the scapular neck combined with rotator cuff tear is rare and the rotator cuff injury should not be ignored in clinical work. Stable internal fixation combined with secondary arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tear can achieve good results.
Bibliography:Corresponding author: Peng Wu, MD, Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Shangcai Village, Nanbaixiang Street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. 676421236@qq.com
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the study conception and design; Wu P and Chen L performed material preparation and image collection; Wu P, Liu CL, and Chen L carried out the surgical operation; Wu P wrote the first draft of the manuscript; all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript, and read and approved the final manuscript.
ISSN:2307-8960
2307-8960
DOI:10.12998/wjcc.v8.i24.6450