Intended for healthcare professionals

Fillers A memorable patient

Fortunes of war

BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.327.7427.1341 (Published 04 December 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:1341
  1. Bryn G Jones, orthopaedic specialist registrar,
  2. Gavin Tait, consultant orthopaedic surgeon
  1. Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock

    The patient was an army major who, at the age of 90, had long since retired from her military nursing career. Her independence was restricted because of increasing difficulty with shoulder movements. Simple activities like washing and everyday tasks such as cooking and cleaning were becoming painful.

    Clinical and radiological examination revealed bilateral rotator cuff arthropathy. For her age she was in particularly good health, and we offered her a shoulder arthroscopy. She was intrigued by the concept of “keyhole surgery” and the advances of modern orthopaedic surgery. She began to indulge in …

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