The management of Salter-Harris type II fracture with associated posterior sternoclavicular joint displacement using a locking compression plate: A 14-year-old adolescent's case report

RATIONALE: Posterior sternoclavicular joint dislocations (PSCJDs) are particularly rare injuries, accounting for 3% to 5% of sternoclavicular joint dislocations. With very few cases reported in the literature, these injuries are often misdiagnosed and imaging is not always clear, thus making physicians often unaware of them. The present case report aims to investigate a rare case involving a clavicular Salter-Harris II fracture with associated posterior displacement of the diaphysis, a term coined a “pseudodislocation.” PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a case of a 14-year-old adolescent who sustained a traumatic injury to the shoulder while falling during a soccer match. His main concern was about recovery time and the return to daily life activities. DIAGNOSES: Multiple imaging studies imaging (X-rays, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) revealed a Salter-Harris II fracture of the right clavicle with posterior displacement of the diaphysis. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent primary surgery to reduce the fracture, using an articular locking compression plate, and secondary surgery to remove the hardware. OUTCOMES: Following the removal of the hardware at 60 days after the initial surgery and a number of cycles of physiotherapy the patient reported a pain-free range of motion with slight limitation at extremes. Full return to recreational and everyday life activities were achieved at 3 months from the initial surgery. LESSONS: The PSCJDs are challenging injuries, as they are surrounded by delicate structures inside the mediastinum. Attention must be taken while diagnosing and treating these injuries as the risk of complications and iatrogenic injuries is high. To the author's knowledge, this case is one of the first of its kind described in the literature where we have a Salter-Harrys type II fracture associated with a posterior pseudodislocation of the lateral clavicle. Given the positive results of the case, we recommend the above-mentioned treatment protocol in PSCJD with associated Salter-Harris II fractures in adolescent patients.