Surgery of the clavicle in Sprengle's deformity

Surgery for Sprengel's deformity can produce less lowering of the scapula than desired and occasionally can result in an injury to the brachial plexus or brachial artery. The method used to produce better correction and to avoid complications was a softening of a clavicle by the morcellization technique of Robinson et al. We feel that the procedure is a simple one which helps to improve the degree of correction and to avoid neurovascular complications. The procedure should be combined with the Woodward correction for Sprengel's deformity.