Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Jan-Feb;13(1):98-101.
doi: 10.3348/kjr.2012.13.1.98. Epub 2011 Dec 23.

Occult interpositional rotator cuff - an extremely rare case of traumatic rotator cuff tear

Cheng-Li Lin  1 , Wei-Ren Su, I-Ming Jou, Wei-Hsing Chih
Affiliations
Review

Occult interpositional rotator cuff - an extremely rare case of traumatic rotator cuff tear

Cheng-Li Lin et al. Korean J Radiol. 2012 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Traumatic interposition of a rotator cuff tendon in the glenohumeral joint without recognizable glenohumeral dislocation is an unusual complication after shoulder trauma. Here we report the clinical and imaging presentations of a 17-year-old man with trapped rotator cuff tendons in the glenohumeral joint after a bicycle accident. The possible trauma mechanism is also discussed.

Keywords: Joint interposition; Posttraumatic subluxation; Shoulder dislocation; Traumatic rotator cuff tear.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Rotator cuff tendon interposition. A. Right shoulder X-ray reveals widened joint space and narrow subacromial space. B, C. MRI of right shoulder. Coronal, T2-weighted, fatsaturated sequence (TR 2000, TE 100) (B) shows supraspinatus defect and it is interposing in glenohumeral joint (asterisk). Parts of torn infraspinatus tendon (open arrow) were interposed into axillary pouch. Axial, T2-weighted, fat-saturated sequence (TR 2000, TE 100) (C) shows infraspinatus defect and soft tissues obliterating glenohumeral joint (double asterisk) and dislocated biceps long head tendon (solid arrow). D. Drawing demonstrating trauma mechanism. E, F. MRI of right shoulder. Coronal, T2-weighted, fat-saturated sequence (TR 2000, TE 100) shows bone edema over anterior part of humeral head (arrow in E) and acromion (arrowhead in F) after shoulder contusion during injury. HH = humeral head, ISP = infraspinatus tendon, SSP = supraspinatus tendon
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Connolly S, Ritchie D, Sinopidis C, Brownson P, Aniq H. Irreducible anterior dislocation of the shoulder due to soft tissue interposition of subscapularis tendon. Skeletal Radiol. 2008;37:63–65. - PubMed
    1. Rickert M, Loew M. Glenohumeral interposition of a torn rotator cuff in a young motorcyclist. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2006;126:184–187. - PubMed
    1. Shyam Kumar AJ, Charity R, Periera A, Deshmukh SC. Interposed subscapularis: a rare cause of irreducible shoulder dislocation. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2005;15:42–44.
    1. Walch G, Boulahia A, Robinson AH, Calderone S. Posttraumatic subluxation of the glenohumeral joint caused by interposition of the rotator cuff. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2001;10:85–91. - PubMed
    1. Mihata T, Doi M, Abe M. Irreducible acute anterior dislocation of the shoulder caused by interposed fragment of the anterior glenoid rim. J Orthop Sci. 2000;5:404–406. - PubMed