A wide and versatile combined surgical approach to the shoulder

Complex injuries and conditions of the shoulder may necessitate wide exposure during the operative procedure. The commonly used approach today is a wide anterior deltopectoral approach with extensive detachment of the deltoid muscle, leading to muscle damage, which may result in difficult postoperative rehabilitation and deteriorated function. We describe a simple combined approach that consists of a deltopectoral approach in conjunction with a subcutaneously performed lateral deltoid split with a single skin incision. We believe this surgical technique provides another useful tool to achieve wide and versatile exposure of the shoulder without jeopardizing the function of either the deltoid muscle or axillary nerve.