Introduction: Osteonecrosis of the humeral head is not a very common entity. It is usually associated with comminuted proximal humerus fractures. We report a rare case of osteonecrosis of humeral head after anterior shoulder dislocation without any fracture of the proximal humerus.
Case report: We report a case of a 24-year-old male who sustained a left-sided anterior subcoracoid shoulder dislocation following a road traffic accident. The shoulder was closed reduced, and a post-reduction radiograph was taken to confirm concentric reduction. At 6-month and 2-year follow-up, the radiographs showed sclerotic changes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the occurrence of osteonecrosis. This is the first such report in contemporary literature.
Conclusion: Osteonecrosis of the humerus head can occur after an anterior shoulder dislocation. It is important to distinguish between the bone bruise and osteonecrosis. This can be done by serially reviewing the patient's radiographs and MRI.
Keywords: Humerus; dislocation; osteonecrosis.