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Atraumatic bilateral scapular spine fracture several months after bilateral reverse total shoulder arthroplasty

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Abstract

We report an 89-year-old woman with bilateral atraumatic scapular spine fracture several months after bilateral reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). Recently, RTSA has gained popularity in the surgical treatment of complex shoulder disorders such as cuff tear arthropathy. However, scapular fractures may occur several months after surgery as a late complication of this procedure. In this case report we focus on a relatively uncommon subtype, the scapular spine fracture. Although well-known in the orthopedic literature, radiologists are less familiar with this complication. To the best of our knowledge, bilateral scapular fractures have not yet been reported.

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Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, GZA Sint-Augustinus, Oosterveldlaan 24, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Simon Nicolay, Luc De Beuckeleer & Marc Pouillon

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, GZA Sint-Augustinus, Oosterveldlaan 24, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Daniël Stoffelen

  3. Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem, Belgium

    Simon Nicolay & Filip Vanhoenacker

  4. Antwerp University, Antwerpen, Belgium

    Simon Nicolay & Filip Vanhoenacker

  5. Department of Radiology, AZ Sint-Maarten, Rooienberg 25, Duffel, Belgium

    Filip Vanhoenacker

  6. University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

    Filip Vanhoenacker

Authors
  1. Simon Nicolay
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  2. Luc De Beuckeleer
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  3. Daniël Stoffelen
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  4. Filip Vanhoenacker
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  5. Marc Pouillon
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Correspondence to Simon Nicolay.

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Nicolay, S., De Beuckeleer, L., Stoffelen, D. et al. Atraumatic bilateral scapular spine fracture several months after bilateral reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Skeletal Radiol 43, 699–702 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-013-1775-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-013-1775-4

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