Ruptured axillary pseudoaneurysm from chronic shoulder dislocation

Locked anterior glenohumeral dislocation: is it always recommendable a conservative treatment?

PURPOSE

Chronic anterior shoulder dislocation represents a rare condition, and there is still lack of consensus in its treatment. Purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome of painful locked dislocation underwent shoulder replacement, with a minimum follow-up of two years. Second endpoint is to assess the glenoid bone graft, harvested from the humeral head.

METHODS

Eight patients underwent shoulder replacement for locked anterior shoulder dislocation. Four patients with a mean age of 23 y.o. were treated with Pyrocarbon-hemiarthroplasty and four patients with a mean age of 76 y.o. were treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Glenoid single stage reconstruction was performed with a bone autograft harvested from the resected humeral head. Patients were observed for a clinical and radiological follow-up for a minimum period of 2 years; ASES and Constant score were assessed.

RESULTS

Pain and ROM improvement was reported in all the patients. In one case, postoperative recurrent RSA instability was found. Glenoid reconstruction was performed in seven cases, showing a good integration and no reabsorption issues in all but one cases. ASES and Constant-Murley functional outcomes were rated as excellent by 1 patient with pyrocarbon HA and 1 patient with RSA, good by 3 patients with RSA and 2 patients with HA, fair by 1 patient with HA and poor by one patient with RSA.

CONCLUSION

The treatment of locked anterior glenohumeral dislocation still represents a challenge in symptomatic patients. Shoulder replacement showed good results in young and older patients, with HA and RSA, respectively. Autograft from the humeral head is reliable for glenoid defect, even in ream and run procedure. Locked dislocation lasting more than one year, surgery is debatable for higher risk of a poor outcome and recurrent instability.

Brachial plexus injury secondary to pseudoaneurysm of axillary artery after glenohumeral dislocation: case report

Lesions of the axillary artery and consequent compression of the brachial plexus are extremely rare in patients with glenohumeral dislocation and may have greatly varying clinical manifestations. This joint is one of the most affected by dislocation in the human body, accounting for approximately 45% of cases. Less than 1% of patients with shoulder dislocation have vascular complications; however, when there is damage in the axillary artery, the incidence of associated brachial plexus injury is 27% to 44%. The authors report on a case of brachial plexus compression by an axillary artery pseudoaneurysm after a glenohumeral dislocation, aiming to highlight the existence of this association, in order to make an early diagnosis and avoid serious complications, such as neurologic injury.

Vascular injuries after minor blunt upper extremity trauma: pitfalls in the recognition and diagnosis of potential "near miss" injuries

Background

Low energy trauma to the upper extremity is rarely associated with a significant vascular injury. Due to the low incidence, a high level of suspicion combined with appropriate diagnostic algorithms are mandatory for early recognition and timely management of these potentially detrimental injuries.

Methods

Review of the pertinent literature, supported by the presentation of two representative "near miss" case examples.

Results

A major diagnostic pitfall is represented by the insidious presentation of significant upper extremity arterial injuries with intact pulses and normal capillary refill distal to the injury site, due to collateral perfusion. Thus, severe vascular injuries may easily be missed or neglected at the upper extremity, leading to a long-term adverse outcome with the potential need for a surgical amputation.

Conclusion

The present review article provides an outline of the diagnostic challenges related to these rare vascular injuries and emphasizes the necessity for a high level of suspicion, even in the absence of a significant penetrating or high-velocity trauma mechanism.

Asymptomatic chronic anterior posttraumatic dislocation in a young male patient

We report an unusual case of chronic anterior glenohumeral dislocation in a young active patient. The diagnosis was not made until 4 years after the initial injury occurred. X-ray evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging showed an anterior dislocated humeral head that was locked anteroinferior of the glenoid as a result of a large Hill-Sachs lesion. Passive and active range of motion was surprisingly normal, and the patient had no pain and no limitation in his activities of daily living. A chronic dislocation of the glenohumeral articulation has been defined as a joint that has been dislocated for at least several days. It is generally accepted that the longer the dislocation persists, the more the difficulties and complications of reduction increase. In most of the patients the persistence of an unreduced chronic dislocation is a very difficult problem. This condition is mostly seen in elderly patients and in those with limited general mental status. We report a case of a young male patient with only minor clinical symptoms.