Milwaukee shoulder with massive bilateral cysts: effective therapy for hydrops of the shoulder

Abstract

"Milwaukee shoulder" is often associated with large effusions that cannot be managed with conventional therapy. We describe a 75-year-old man whose massive hydrops of both shoulders was resistant to treatment with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), multiple aspirations, and injections of corticosteroid. The effusions resolved completely after treatment with oral colchicine and an NSAID containing magnesium.