Annals of emergency medicine
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To determine the incidence of clinically significant fractures or other abnormalities seen on postreduction shoulder radiographs which were not seen on postreduction should radiographs which were not seen on the prereduction films obtained for anterior shoulder dislocations. ⋯ Postreduction radiographs rarely reveal any clinically significant abnormality after an anterior shoulder dislocation has been reduced. Emergency physicians and orthopedic surgeons should question whether the time and expense of obtaining routine postreduction films in the ED for anterior shoulder dislocations is justified. A prospective study is needed to validate our findings.