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Updated: May 5, 2026

Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Atraumatic bilateral scapular spine fracture several months after bilateral reverse total shoulder arthroplasty
Simon Nicolay1, Luc De Beuckeleer, Daniël Stoffelen
1Department of Radiology, GZA Sint-Augustinus, Oosterveldlaan 24, Wilrijk, Belgium, simon.nicolay@gmail.com.
Abstract:
We report an 89-year-old woman with bilateral atraumatic scapular spine fracture several months after bilateral reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). Recently, RTSA has gained popularity in the surgical treatment of complex shoulder disorders such as cuff tear arthropathy. However, scapular fractures may occur several months after surgery as a late complication of this procedure. In this case report we focus on a relatively uncommon subtype, the scapular spine fracture. Although well-known in the orthopedic literature, radiologists are less familiar with this complication. To the best of our knowledge, bilateral scapular fractures have not yet been reported.
