Scapulothoracic Dissociation

Abstract

A 26-year-old man sustained a scapulothoracic dissociation (STD) as a result of severe shoulder girdle trauma. In this recently described syndrome, multiple fractures of the upper extremity and closed disruption of the scapula from the thorax are combined with damage to the local neurovascular structures. The occurrence of blunt subclavian arterial injury and STD indicates the possibility of severe brachial plexus lesions.