Chronic Scapulothoracic Bursitis Associated with Thoracoplasty

he scapulothoracic bursa is knownto cause snapping scapular syn-drome, characterized by shoulderpain and bony crepitus accompanying shoul-der motion. Although a significant clinicaloverlap exists between scapulothoracic bursitisand snapping scapular syndrome, scapulotho-racic bursitis can be an isolated entity causingshoulder discomfort [1]. The pathogenesis ofscapulothoracic bursa formation is thought tobe related to chronic repetitive mechanicalstress on the periscapular tissue, usually result-ing from a bone abnormality such as a protru-sion of the scapula or rib cage. We report a case of chronic scapulotho-racic bursitis associated with thoracoplastyin a woman having left inferior periscapularpain. CT and MRI revealed a cystic mass lo-cated between the inferior tip of the scapulaand the deformed chest wall, due to thoraco-plasty performed 50 years earlier. The pa-tient’s status after thoracoplasty was thoughtto have caused scapulothoracic bursitis orbursa formation.