Presumed Glenoid SLAP Tear in an Adolescent Football Player Belied the Presence of a Coracoid Growth Plate Fracture: A Diagnostic Conundrum

We report the case of a 13-year-old male who sustained a right shoulder injury while playing quarterback in an American football game. A noncontrast MRI scan showed evidence of a possible grade 1 SLAP tear (SLAP = superior labral anterior-posterior), and surgery was recommended. However, at the preoperative visit, the surgeon was suspicious that the main source of pain had been missed. Bilateral shoulder radiographs taken for comparative analysis revealed a Salter-Harris type I coracoid growth-plate fracture. Therefore, the surgeon planned to manage the patient nonoperatively and postponed the proposed SLAP tear surgery. The patient was instructed to cease participation in athletic events and undergo physical therapy. Hoping to expedite his healing with platelet or stem cell injections, the parents sought an opinion from another physician who obtained a right shoulder MRI with intra-articular contrast. This confirmed that there was no SLAP tear. We concluded that the patient initially had glenohumeral and coracoclavicular ligament strains and a coracoid growth-plate fracture. The SLAP tear suggested by the initial MRI proved to be a red herring, belying an accurate diagnosis. The patient ultimately recovered fully with physical therapy and without surgery or other interventions.