Excision Arthroplasty for Treatment of a Chronic Traumatic Medial Scapulohumeral Joint Luxation in a Dog

A 12 year old intact male toy poodle was presented with an 18 month history of non-weight-bearing lameness of the right forelimb. The right shoulder joint was radiographed and found to be luxated with secondary degenerative changes of the periarticular structures. No signs of primary dysplasia of the glenoid cavity of the scapula or humeral head were detected. The shoulder joint was explored surgically and, based on the severe damage to the articular cartilage, it was concluded that open reduction and stabilization of the shoulder joint was contraindicated. Excision arthroplasty of the shoulder by ostectomy of the glenoid cavity and humeral head was performed. The dog began to bear weight on the operated leg two weeks after surgery. Two months later there was a significant improvement, and by 5 months postoperatively, he was fully functional. The dog remained sound for the following 6 months until it was euthanized for reasons unrelated to the surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of successful implementation of excision shoulder arthroplasty for a such a prolonged shoulder luxation. The current case is the fourth reported case of a dog treated by excision arthroplasty, involving ostectomy of both glenoid cavity and humeral head, and the second case utilizing this technique for treatment of chronic medial shoulder luxation.