Check-Rein Technique for Management of Neglected Locked Posterior Shoulder Dislocations: Evaluation of Mid-term Outcome of a Novel Technique

Introduction: Neglected locked posterior shoulder dislocations, although rare, are quiet perplexing to manage. Various treatment methods have been explained for their management, but a consensus is still lacking. Besides describing a novel technique for the management of these lesions, this study aims to evaluate the mid-term outcome of this technique. Method: This prospective study involved seven consecutive patients with locked posterior dislocation of the shoulder with humeral defect between 25% and 50%. All patients underwent open reduction of the locked posterior dislocation with the current technique. The final outcome was assessed at a mean follow up of 3.5 years (range 2-5 years) using the DASH score. Result: The mean age of the patients was 32 years (range 21- 44) and all were men. The mean time to presentation from initial injury was 2.4 years (range 2-4 years). The patient related outcome as measured by DASH score improved from a preoperative mean of 59.1 to mean value of 8.6 at the time of final follow up. There were no cases of graft pull out, nonunio‎n at the graft site or infection. Conclusion: This technique results in pain-free range of motion with a stable shoulder though a larger sample population with a longer follow up is required to further support our observations.