Abstract
Introduction: Locked posterior dislocations of the shoulder, with humeral head defects are rare injuries. It constitutes less than 2% of all posterior dislocations of the shoulder and 60% are misdiagnosed. There have only been a few articles describing the treatment of such injuries either by bone graft or Mc Laughlin’s procedure.
Patients: The first patient is a 23 year-old who presented as a missed diagnosis three weeks after a seizure. The second is a 35 year-old male referred four weeks after a traumatic dislocation. The third is a 55 year-old, known epileptic, who was diagnosed on admission. CT scan revealed a locked humeral head against the posterior glenoid rim, with defects of 30%, 20% and 30% respectively.
Treatment: All underwent reconstruction of the defect. The first using freeze-dried allograft, the second and third using iliac autograft.
Results: Each patient was assessed using the Constant and Murley score. The first patient scored 76 points at 30 months, the second patient scored 95 at 12 months and the third scored 97 after 12 months post-operatively.
Conclusion: Early diagnosis is important in management and prognosis of such injuries. Using bone graft in the reconstruction of the humeral head defect restores the normal anatomy, rather than distorting it by using McLaughlin’s procedure.
Honorary Secretary Mr Bimal Singh. Correspondence should be addressed to BOSA (British Orthopaedic Specialists Association), c/o Royal College of Surgeons, 35 – 43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE.
