Intrathoracic shoulder dislocation causing rupture of the right main bronchus.
Hayes N, White J, Lillie P, Bennetts JS, Tu CG, Bain GI.
Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2020 Apr;140(4):443-447. doi: 10.1007/s00402-019-03242-3. Epub 2019 Aug 5. PMID: 31385020.
Abstract
An intrathoracic shoulder dislocation is a rare injury, usually the result of high-energy trauma [Hawkes et al. in Am J Orthop 43(4):E74-E78, 2014; Tsai et al. in Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 20:592-594, 2014, in Rupprecht et al. Bull Emerg Trauma 5(3):212-214, 2017; Abellan et al. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong)18(2):254-257, 2010]. It often occurs in conjunction with thoracic, pelvic, and long bone injuries. In addition, there is often significant injuries to the shoulder girdle and chest wall associated with neurovascular compromise [Abellan et al. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong)18(2):254-257, 2010; Lin et al. JBJS Case Connect 6(1):e61, 2016]. Following a literature review, it appears that no cases have been reported of an intrathoracic shoulder dislocation associated with a rupture of the ipsilateral main bronchus. We present a case of a rupture of the right main bronchus that occurred due to high-energy impact and an associated intrathoracic right-shoulder fracture dislocation. Computed tomography identified diastasis of the ipsilateral first intercostal space, humeral head indentation in the hilum of the lung, and a pneumoarthrogram of the right glenohumeral joint.