Sprengel’s Shoulder

  1. Home
  2. High Yield Topics
  3. Sprengel’s Shoulder

TOPIC DETAILS

  Team Member Role(s) Profile
SattAR Sattar Alshriyda Section Editor
ND Matthew Nixon Segment Author
  • This is a rare congenital anomaly
  • Result from failure of descent of scapula from foetal position in the neck.
  • The scapula remains hypoplastic and elevated
  • male = female
  • It is associated with other abnormalities in 70% of cases.
  1. klippel Feil
  2. cervical rib
  3. rib malformations
  4. omovertebral bar

 

5.3.1.1.png
 

A diagram and plain x-ray of Sprengel’s shoulder.

[Image is courtesy of Paediatric Orthopaedics by Matthew Nixon Lulu publishing 2012]

  • Clinical problems
  1. Decreased shoulder abduction
  2. Cosmesis
5.3.1.2.png
 
Clinical photograph of a child with right Sprengel’s shoulder.

5.3.1.3.png

Clinical photograph of a child with right Sprengel’s shoulder.

Physiotherapy

  • Usually best option
  • Function normally well preserved

Surgery

  • Risk of brachial plexus injury
  • Only if function severely affected
  • Best done at 6 years
  • Surgical procedures
  1. Green- detach muscle insertion
  2. Konig-osteotomy of scapula
  3. Woodward-release midline origin
  4. Mears partial scapular resection

5.3.1.4.png

Various types of of surgical treatments for Sprengel’s shoulder; 1&2 Konig-osteotomy of scapula, 3 Mear’s osteotomy, 4 Woodward release. [Image is courtesy of Paediatric Orthopaedics by Matthew Nixon Lulu publishing 2012]

Previous
Next