Treatment of shoulder fractures under arthroscopic control

Arthroscopic joint surgery has evolved rapidly and become an integral part of orthopedic treatment techniques during the past decades. In fracture treatment arthroscopic surgery offers accurate diagnosis of fracture involvement and concomitant soft tissue injury as well as the option of minimally invasive treatment. In shoulder surgery arthroscopic fracture treatment is already widely used in glenoid/Bankart fractures. For distal clavicle fractures, humeral impression fractures, and greater/lesser tuberosity avulsions, arthroscopically assisted techniques gain importance. Additionally diagnostic arthroscopy is used for the control of screw placement/length and fracture reposition. Meanwhile complete arthroscopic plate removal or even humeral head nailing is only based on case or technical reports. In summary arthroscopy offers new options in fracture treatment, but the limitations of these techniques have to be considered.