Long term outcomes of neonate septic arthritis of the shoulder

Upper limb palsy in the newborn may be caused by a large number of pathologies, such as fracture, brachial plexus palsy or infection. The diagnosis of neonatal osteoarticular infection is extremely challenging, especially in the shoulder joint. The lack of obvious clinical signs can frequently result in a delay in the diagnosis of septic arthritis of the shoulder, which can lead to important sequelae. A retrospective study of nine patients (eleven shoulders) with a history of neonatal septic arthritis of the shoulder was performed. All patients were treated at the same institution.