Intra-articular Loose Body with Concomitant Bankart Lesion after a Traumatic Shoulder Dislocation: A Case Report

The spectrum of pathoanatomic lesions encountered in anterior shoulder dislocation is broad. There could be a presence of loose bodies, chondral and osteochondral, in the shoulder joint and also concomitant rotator cuff partial tears resulting from acute and chronic shoulder instability.

We present one case report of a 46-year-old male Chinese with an uncommon case of Bankart lesion, with a full thickness chondral defect over the superior glenoid articular surface manifesting as a large intra-articular loose cartilaginous body. The patient presented with persistent shoulder pain with signs of shoulder instability. He underwent arthroscopic repair of his Bankart lesion with the removal of intra-articular loose body. We aim to discuss the diagnosis, radiological imaging, as well as, arthroscopic treatment of loose body in the glenohumeral joint due to anterior shoulder dislocation in our report.

In our case report, we highlight the importance to identify other associated injuries from the history and examination after an episode of traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation. Arthroscopic treatment is a useful minimally invasive option to remove the large fragment of intra-articular loose body and also repair the Bankart lesion in the same setting. Both of these lesions must be treated as they are crucial for pain relief, as well as stabilizing the shoulder, to prevent further episodes of dislocation.