Pediatric Anterior Shoulder Dislocation

  • Etiology: often related to sports activity
  • Imaging: document dislocation, look for Hill Sachs deformity and other fracture or loose body
  • Complications: Hills Sachs deformity is posterolateral compression fracture secondary to impaction of humeral head against anteroinferior glenoid which affects top 2 cm of humeral head, Bankart lesion: impaction injury of anterior / inferior glenoid
  • Clinical: anterior shoulder dislocation seen 95% of time

Radiology Cases of Anterior Shoulder Dislocation

Radiograph of anterior shoulder dislocation
AP (above) and axillary (below) radiographs of the right shoulder show the right humeral head to be displaced anteriorly and medially in relation to the glenoid fossa.
Radiograph of anterior shoulder dislocation with Hills-Sachs lesion
AP (upper left) and axillary (above right) radiographs of the left shoulder show the left humeral head to be displaced anteriorly and medially in relation to the glenoid fossa. Post-reduction AP radiograph of the left shoulder (below) shows a defect in the posterolateral aspect of the humeral head.