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Early history of scapular fractures

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Abstract

The first to use the term Scapula was Vesalius (1514–1564) and thus it has remained ever since. Probably the oldest injured scapula, from 250 million years ago, was described by Chinese authors of a skeletal examination of a fossilised remains of a dinosaur Yangchuanosaurus hepingensis. In humans, the oldest known scapular fractures date back to the prehistoric and early historic times. In ancient times, a fracture of acromion was described in the treatises of Hippocrates. Early modern history of the treatment of scapular fractures is closely interlinked with the history of the French surgery. The first to point out the existence of these fractures were Petit, Du Verney and Desault in the 18th century. The first study devoted solely to scapular fractures was published by Traugott Karl August Vogt in 1799. Thomas Callaway published in 1849 an extensive dissertation on injuries to the shoulder girdle, in which he discussed a number of cases known at that time. The first radiograph of a scapular fracture was published by Petty in 1907. Mayo Robson (1884), Lambotte (1913) and Lane (1914) were pioneers in the surgical treatment of these fractures, followed in 1923 by the French surgeons Lenormat, Dujarrier and Basset. The first internal fixation of the glenoid fossa, including a radiograph, was published by Fischer in 1939.

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Acknowledgments

The study was prepared under the Grant IGA MZ ČR NT/14092: Diagnostics and operative treatment of displaced intraarticular fractures of the scapula. The authors wish to thank Mirka Plecitá and Ludmila Frajerová for assistance in tracing the original documents, and Professor Chris Colton and Ludmila Bébarová for their assistance in preparation of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics of the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Central Military Hospital Prague, U Vojenské nemocnice 1 200, 169 02, Praha 6, Czech Republic

    Jan Bartoníček

  2. Orthopaedic Hand and Upper Extremity Service, Yawkey Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Suite 2100, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Michal Kozánek & Jesse B. Jupiter

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Michal Kozánek

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  1. Jan Bartoníček
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Correspondence to Jan Bartoníček.

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Bartoníček, J., Kozánek, M. & Jupiter, J.B. Early history of scapular fractures. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 40, 213–222 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-015-2821-8

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