Glenohumeral arthrodesis for late reconstruction of flail shoulder in patients with traumatic supraclavicular brachial plexus palsy

Abstract

Background Flail shoulder can occur following a brachial plexus injury and is characterized by painful subluxation of the glenohumeral joint and the inability to independently position the hand in space. The present study aimed to report the clinical outcomes following glenohumeral arthrodesis for late reconstruction of flail shoulder in patients with traumatic supraclavicular brachial plexus palsy. Methods Seven patients were included in the present study and were followed-up for a mean of 98 months (range 27 months to 197 months). The mean age at the time of surgery was 48 years (range 28 years to 80 years) and the mean time to surgery from injury was 5 years (range 2.5 years to 8 years). Results Six patients achieved bony union with a mean time to fusion of 4.7 months (range 2 months to 8 months). Non-union occurred in one case. The mean Oxford Shoulder Score improved from 11 pre-operatively (range 4 to 16) to 27 postoperatively (range 16 to 40) ( p = 0.016), and the mean Subjective Shoulder Value improved from 7 (range 0 to 15) pre-operatively to 45 (range 15 to 100) postoperatively ( p = 0.029). Conclusions In our series, glenohumeral arthrodesis was associated with few complications, and effectively reduced pain and improved functional outcome in this selected patient population.