Research Information System
American Journal of Orthopedics, vol.45, pp.29-30, 2016 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Scapular dislocation, also known as locked scapula or
scapulothoracic dislocation, is a rare entity that can be
identified as extrathoracic or intrathoracic dislocation,
depending on the penetration of the scapula into the
thoracic cavity.
The 3 reported cases of intrathoracic scapular dislocations
in the literature are associated with a preexisting
condition, such as sternoclavicular separation, prior rib
fracture, thoracotomy for a lung transplant procedure, or
surgical resection of superior ribs during breast or pulmonary
tumor excisions. There are also 3 published cases
of intrathoracic scapular impaction, involving comminuted
scapular fractures with intrathoracic impaction
of the inferior fragment through intercostal space.
We report an intrathoracic scapular dislocation that
was not associated with fracture of the scapula or predisposing
factors. To our knowledge, this is the first
case of pure intrathoracic dislocation.