A Devastating Shoulder Girdle Injury and an Innovative Approach to Management - A Case Report.
- 1Department of Orthopaedics, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Health Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Abstract
Scapulothoracic dissociation is a rare, potentially devastating high-energy injury of the shoulder girdle, frequently associated with neurovascular and musculoskeletal injuries. While management primarily focuses on life- and limb-threatening complications, the role of operative skeletal stabilization remains less clearly defined. We present a case of Type I scapulothoracic dissociation with an unstable bifocal disruption of the superior shoulder suspensory complex (SSSC) managed using a customized fixation construct. A 35-year-old male sustained a Type I scapulothoracic dissociation following a high-energy motor vehicle collision, associated with a scapular spine-acromion fracture and acromioclavicular joint disruption resulting in an unstable bifocal SSSC injury. Following initial stabilization, operative fixation was performed using a customized contoured infrapectineal plate spanning the scapular spine, acromion, and clavicle, supplemented with coracoclavicular fixation. At 12-month follow-up, the patient achieved satisfactory functional recovery with 120° abduction and 150° forward flexion, without scapulothoracic instability or implant failure. Operative stabilization of scapulothoracic dissociation associated with an unstable bifocal SSSC injury can restore shoulder-girdle stability and facilitate functional recovery. In selected patients, a customized fixation construct may provide a viable solution when conventional fixation strategies are inadequate for the complex injury pattern.
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BibTeX
@article{prakassh2026devastating,
title = {{A Devastating Shoulder Girdle Injury and an Innovative Approach to Management - A Case Report.}},
author = {S K Srinivasa Ram Prakassh and Mohamed Sameer and Srijay Sashaank},
journal = {Journal of orthopaedic case reports},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.13107/jocr.2026.v16.i11.8474},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997068},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Devastating Shoulder Girdle Injury and an Innovative Approach to Management - A Case Report.
AU - S K Srinivasa Ram Prakassh
AU - Mohamed Sameer
AU - Srijay Sashaank
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Journal of orthopaedic case reports
DO - 10.13107/jocr.2026.v16.i11.8474
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997068
AB - Scapulothoracic dissociation is a rare, potentially devastating high-energy injury of the shoulder girdle, frequently associated with neurovascular and musculoskeletal injuries. While management primarily focuses on life- and limb-threatening complications, the role of operative skeletal stabilization remains less clearly defined. We present a case of Type I scapulothoracic dissociation with an unstable bifocal disruption of the superior shoulder suspensory complex (SSSC) managed using a customized fixation construct. A 35-year-old male sustained a Type I scapulothoracic dissociation following a high-energy motor vehicle collision, associated with a scapular spine-acromion fracture and acromioclavicular joint disruption resulting in an unstable bifocal SSSC injury. Following initial stabilization, operative fixation was performed using a customized contoured infrapectineal plate spanning the scapular spine, acromion, and clavicle, supplemented with coracoclavicular fixation. At 12-month follow-up, the patient achieved satisfactory functional recovery with 120° abduction and 150° forward flexion, without scapulothoracic instability or implant failure. Operative stabilization of scapulothoracic dissociation associated with an unstable bifocal SSSC injury can restore shoulder-girdle stability and facilitate functional recovery. In selected patients, a customized fixation construct may provide a viable solution when conventional fixation strategies are inadequate for the complex injury pattern.
SN - 2250-0685
SN - 2321-3817
ER -