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A 25-year-old man lost his balance while getting onto his bicycle
and fell forward, landing on his outstretched right arm. He complained
of pain in his right shoulder. There is no other injury. He presents
holding his arm as shown in the photograph. He found it painful
to move his shoulder from this position. There was no shoulder deformity
or localized tenderness.
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- What, if any, abnormalities are present on the
shoulder radiograph (Figure 1)?
- How would you manage this patient’s shoulder
injury?
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When ordering a radiographic study, it is important to know which
views are included and whether they have been properly performed.
The standard views included in a radiographic study often vary from
hospital to hospital. This is especially true of the shoulder. In
many hospitals, the standard radiographs of the shoulder are AP views of the patient with the arm
(humerus) in external
and internal rotation (Figures 2 and 3).
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In Patient 6, because of his limited
range of motion, only one view was obtained.
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The standard AP views of the shoulder may not be sufficient
to establish a diagnosis in certain situations.
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An additional view was obtained in this patient (Figure 4).
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- Which view is this?
- Are any abnormalities present?
- When should you order this additional view?
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The shoulder is the most frequently dislocated joint owing to
the shallowness of the glenoid fossa and the shoulder’s
great mobility. The vast majority of shoulder dislocations are anterior
(>95%). Posterior dislocations are uncommon
because the strong muscular and skeletal support prevents posterior
displacement of the humeral head.
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Posterior shoulder dislocations are frequently misdiagnosed;
up to 50% are missed on initial presentation. They are
missed because of a lack of familiarity with this uncommon injury,
and a failure to appreciate the findings on the standard AP views ...