[Traumatic rupture of the rotator cuff in an adolescent--case report]

A traumatic rotator cuff tear is a very rare condition, especially in the adolescent. We report about a 14-year-old boy who fell onto the right arm while riding his bicycle. Immediately after the accident he described some kind of click in his right shoulder. he was referred to our institution 3 days after the trauma. The MRI showed a huge defect of the labrumligament complex including the rotator interval. Intraoperatively, we found a complete disruption of the subscapularis and supraspinatus tendons as well as of the anterior stabilizers. We performed a modified Bankart repair and a reconstruction of the ruptured rotator cuff. The patient returned to his former sports as cyclist 3 months after surgery. This case is of clinical relevance because of the traumatic disruption of an intact rotator cuff in a young patient. Not the bone but rather the tendons and ligaments were the weakest link in this situation. In cases of primary traumatic shoulder dislocation, we have to look for bony and soft-tissue damage including the rotator cuff. With the present high standards in ultrasound and MR imaging we have to keep these techniques in mind in order not to overlook this type of accompanying injury.