Abstract
We report a case of a 15-year-old boy with chronic intermittent left shoulder pain due to an undiagnosed lesser tuberosity avulsion fracture, an associated biceps pulley injury and intra-articular dislocation of the long head of the biceps tendon. Lesser tuberosity avulsion fractures are rare injuries that are difficult to detect on clinical exam and radiographically, which may lead to delayed diagnosis and chronic shoulder instability. Few reports describe dislocations or subluxations of the biceps tendon in association with lesser tuberosity avulsions in children. We utilize this case to emphasize the importance of MR not only in detecting lesser tuberosity avulsions, but also in evaluating biceps pulley injuries, which are a rarely reported, but clinically important, association.
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Dr. Arthur Meyers is an author/editor for Amirsys/Elsevier for which he receives royalties. Drs. Mizrahi, Averill and Blumer have no conflicts of interest to report.
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Mizrahi, D.J., Averill, L.W., Blumer, S.L. et al. Chronic lesser tuberosity avulsion in an adolescent with an associated biceps pulley injury. Pediatr Radiol 48, 749–753 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-017-4016-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-017-4016-5