In reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA), a high complication rate is noted in the international literature (24.7%), and limited local literature is available. The complications in our developing health system, with high HIV, tuberculosis and metabolic syndrome prevalence may be different from that in developed health systems where the literature largely emanates from. The aim of this study is to describe the complications and complication rate following RSA in a South African cohort. An analytical, cross-sectional study was done where all patients’ who received RSA over an 11 year period at a tertiary hospital were evaluated. One-hundred-and-twenty-six primary RSA patients met the inclusion criteria and a detailed retrospective evaluation of their demographics, clinical variables and complication associated with their shoulder arthroplasty were assessed. All fracture, revision and tumour resection arthroplasties were excluded, and a minimum of 6 months follow up was required. A primary RSA complication rate of 19.0% (24/126) was noted, with the most complications occurring after 90 days at 54.2% (13/24). Instability was the predominant delayed complication at 61.5% (8/13) and sepsis being the most common in the early days at 45.5% (5/11). Haematoma formation, hardware failure and axillary nerve injury were also noted at 4.2% each (1/24). Keeping in mind the immense difference in socioeconomical status and patient demographics in a third world country the RSA complication rate in this study correlates with the known international consensus. This also proves that RSA is still a suitable option for rotator cuff arthropathy and glenohumeral osteoarthritis even in an economically constrained environment like South Africa.
Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has an increasing effective use in the treatment of patients with a variety of diagnoses, including rotator cuff deficiency, inflammatory arthritis, or failed shoulder prostheses. Glenoid bone loss is not uncommonly encountered in these cases due to the significant wear. Severe bone loss can compromise glenoid baseplate positioning and fixation, consequently increasing the risk for early component loosening, instability, and scapular notching. To manage severe glenoid bone deficiencies, bone grafts are commonly used. Although, many studies report outcome of bone grafting in revision RSA, the literature on humeral head autograft for glenoid bone loss in primary RSA is less robust. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of primary RSA with humeral head autograft for glenoid bone loss at our institution. Institutional review board approval was obtained to retrospectively review the records of 22 consecutive primary RTSA surgeries in 21 patients with humeral head autograft for glenoid bone loss between January 2008 and December 2016. Five patients died during follow-up, three were unable to be contacted and one refused to participate, leaving a final study cohort of 12 patients with 13 shoulders that underwent RSA. All patients had a clinical evaluation including detailed ROM and clinical evaluation using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Score, Constant Score, Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder Index (WOOS), and Short Form-12 (SF-12) questionnaires. Preoperative and postoperative plain radiographs and CT scans were assessed for component position, loosening, scapular notching, as well as graft incorporation, resorption, or collapse. There were 6 males and 6 females, with an average age of 74 ± 6.8 years. The average BMI was 31.7 ± 5.3, and the median ASA score was 3. Average follow-up was 3.4 ± 1.1 years. The average postoperative range of motion measurements for the operative arm are: flexion = 120 ± 37, abduction = 106 ± 23, external rotation = 14 ± 12, internal rotation at 90 degrees of abduction = 49 ± 7, external rotation at 90 degrees of abduction = 50 ± 28. Average functional scores are: ASES: 76.9 ± 19.2, WOOS: 456 ± 347, SF12 physical: 34.2 ± 8.2, SF12 mental: 54.1 ± 10.2, Constant Score: 64.6 ± 14. No evidence of hardware loosening or evidence of bone graft resorption were encountered. On CT, the average of pre operative B-angle was 79.3 ± 9.3 while the pre operative reverse shoulder angle was 101.4 ± 28. Glenoid retroversion average on CT was 13.3 ± 16.6. Post operative baseplate inclination average was 82 ± 7.4 while the baseplate version 7.8 ±10. The operative technique was able to achieve up to 30 degrees of inclination correction and up to 50 degrees of version correction. In conclusion,
