Tríada terrible de hombro: reporte de un caso

Abstract

Anteroinferior Glenohumeral (GH) dislocation of the shoulder is a common pathology in emergencies rooms. It is preceded by a traumatic event and is accompanied by a labral avulsion known as Bankart and a posterolateral fracture of the humeral head known as Hill-Sachs lesion. When GH dislocation is accompanied by rotator cuff tear or fracture of humeral tuberosities and neurological injury to the brachial plexus, it is known as terrible shoulder triad.

We describe the case of a patient who came to the emergency room with acute trauma to the right shoulder. The presence of anterior glenohumeral dislocation with avulsion fracture of the greater tuberosity was confirmed with complementary examinations and the axillary nerve injury was not diagnosed until after surgery first visit at our center. The dislocation was reduced under anesthesia and the rotator cuff injury was subsequently treated with trans-osseous sutures and arthroscopic assistance. The patient presented involvement of the axillary or circumflex nerve that was diagnosed clinically in our first evaluation with the A.R.A.R.A.I. protocol and was proven to be neuropraxia with electromyography, so it resolved spontaneously with medication and physiotherapy.

Therefore, every patient with shoulder trauma who attends the emergency room is recommended to start with a neurological assessment; if this goes unnoticed, it could become a sequela for the patient or a legal problem for the physicians.

Keywords: Anterior Dislocation of the Shoulder; Terrifying Triad of the Shoulder; Nerve Injury; A.R.A.R.A.I.