The bent screw: a sign of postoperative recurrent dislocation

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Traumatology

Background:

• Recurrent dislocation is a known complication after surgical repair of initial dislocations.
• Shoulder joint instability presents significant challenges in orthopedic treatment.
• Postoperative hardware complications require careful monitoring.

Observation:

• Two patients presented with suspected recurrent shoulder dislocation post-surgery.
• Clinical suspicion was raised due to visible deformity in the surgical hardware.
• Examination focused on the integrity of internal fixation devices.

Findings:

• The internal fixation screws used in both patients were found to be bent.
• Screw deformation served as a direct indicator of recurrent dislocation events.
• This finding correlated the mechanical failure of hardware with clinical recurrence.

Implications:

• Bent screws are a significant clinical sign for diagnosing recurrent postoperative shoulder dislocation.
• Surgeons should meticulously examine hardware integrity to detect such complications.
• This highlights the importance of hardware assessment in managing post-surgical instability.