Osteomyelitis of the scapula with secondary septic arthritis of the shoulder joint

Abstract

We report a delayed diagnosis of osteomyelitis of the scapula involving the inferior angle, and extending to the glenoid, with secondary septic arthritis of the glenohumeral joint in a 7-month-old female infant. The patient was treated with arthrotomy of the shoulder joint, anterior drainage of pus and intravenous antibiotics. The diagnosis was delayed as the patient was found to have bilateral lung abscess and other foci of infection, for which she was treated in the neonatal intensive care unit, with all the medical efforts directed toward saving her life. The diagnosis of septic shoulder arthritis is uncommon and difficult, requiring a high index of suspicion, which was another reason for the delayed diagnosis.