[Therapeutic Remarks on the Congenital Elevation of the Scapula. Apropos of 16 Cases]

The authors review a series of 16 cases of congenital high scapula including 4 bilateral cases. The pathological aspects are detailed including investigations for scapular hypoplasia (3 cases), omovertebral bone (7 cases), loco-regional muscular anomalies (5 cases), and various deformities of the cervical spine (present in all cases). The entire spine and the thoracic cage was examined in all cases. The Woodward procedure was performed with some modifications described in the text. The operative results in 3 cases were judged to be failure based on cosmetic and functional criteria. The age of the patients at operation and the presence of an omovertebral bone did not influence the results, however, the presence of important deformities of the cervical spine had a poor prognosis. The authors insist on the loco-regional character of the deformity and on the importance of the reorientation of the scapulo-humeral joint. Results were judged on cosmetic and functional criteria with 79% excellent or fair results.