Lussazione anteriore di spalla in soggetti in accrescimento

Numerous studies have analyzed the epidemiology and clinical evolution on anterior shoulder dislocations, Furthermore, in no studies a clear-cut distinction has been made between patients who had attained skeletal maturity and those who had not, at the time of primary dislocation. This investigation was aimed at determining the incidence, causes and rate of recurrences of shoulder dislocation in subjects who were aged 17 years or less when the initial dislocation occurred. Material and Methods. We analyzed the clinical records of patients who had been treated between 1988 and 1990 for pure shoulder dislocation. We found 443 patients, of whom 20 (4.5%) were aged 17 years or less at the time of primary dislocation: 9 (45%) 17 years old, 5 (25%) were aged 16 years, 4 {20%) 14 or 15 years and 2 patients {10%) were children, aged 2 and 6 years, respectively. The mean follow-up was 7.9 years. Follow-up evaluation included physical and radiographic examination. Over the follow-up period, patients had undergone arthro-CT or MR! of the shoulder. One of these investigations was carried out in 5 of the remaining patients, including the two children, Conclusions. In this study we have analyzed the largest reported series of patients undergoing primary shoulder dislocation below the age of 18 years including children. In our series, the incident e of atraumatic dislocations (20%) was considerably higher than that in the largest series including patients of all ages; this indicates that shoulder joint laxity tends to manifest itself precociously.