Neglected and locked anterior shoulder dislocation: functional outcomes and complications after open reduction and preservation of humeral head.

Background: Neglected and locked anterior shoulder dislocation is a rare problem that presents several treatment challenges. Our study aimed to evaluate the functional outcomes and postoperative complications after open reduction and head preservation surgery in patients with neglected and locked anterior shoulder dislocation. Methods: Ten patients (age 51 ± 22 years) with a follow-up of 27 months ± 7 months (range 24-40 months) were included in the study. The anteriorly dislocated humeral heads were open and reduced after an average neglect of 10 ± 15 months. The neglected dislocation was classified into two types by the severity of the injury. (1) Type 1: There were no associated severe injuries, and the humeral head was reduced in the glenoid cavity without take-down of the subscapularis (type 1a) (n = 5) or via take-down of the upper half of the subscapularis (type 1b) (n = 2). (2) Type 2: There were associated factors such as a greater tuberosity fracture (n = 2) or a grade 3/4 fatty infiltrated supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles (n = 1). Complete removal of the subscapularis was necessary to reduce the humeral head. Results: The pain scores improved from a baseline value of 8 ± 1 to a final value of 1 ± 1 ( Conclusion: Open reduction and head preservation in patients with neglected anterior dislocation led to good functional outcomes in 70% (as per Constant score) to 80% (as per shoulder subjective value) of the patients. However, we observed major complications such as persistent anterior subluxation (n = 2) and superior head migration (n = 1), leading to suboptimal functional outcomes in cases with associated factors such as a greater tuberosity fracture or severe fatty infiltrated cuff muscles.