A wide and versatile combined surgical approach to the shoulder

Complex injuries and conditions of he shoulder may necessitate wide exposur e during the operative procedure. The commonly used approach today is a wid e anterior deltopectoral approach with extensive detachment of the deltoid muscle, leading to muscle damage, which may result in difficult postoperati ve rehabilitation and deteriorated function. We describe a simple combined approach chat consists of a deltopectoral approach in conjunction with a su bcutaneously performed lateral deltoid split with a single skin incision. W e believe his surgical technique provides another useful tool to achieve wi de and versatile exposure of he shoulder without jeopardizing the function of either he deltoid muscle or axillary nerve.