The reasons for failure of a hemirthroplasty (HA) when used to
treat a proximal humeral fracture include displaced or necrotic
tuberosities, insufficient metaphyseal bone-stock, and rotator cuff
tears. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) is often the only
remaining form of treatment in these patients. The aim of this study
was to evaluate the clinical outcome after conversions from a failed
HA to rTSA. A total of 35 patients, in whom a HA, as treatment for a fracture
of the proximal humerus, had failed, underwent conversion to a rTSA.
A total of 28 were available for follow-up at a mean of 61 months
(37 to 91), having been initially reviewed at a mean of 20 months
(12 to 36) postoperatively. Having a convertible design, the humeral
stem could be preserved in nine patients. The stem was removed in
the other 19 patients and a conventional rTSA was implanted. At
final follow-up, patients were assessed using the American Shoulder
and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the Constant Score, and plain radiographs.Aims
Material and Methods
The June 2014 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: suprascapular nerve and rotator cuff pathology; anchors in Bankart repair: it’s not what you’ve got, but how you use it; not all shoulder PROMs are equal; reverse shoulder arthroplasty OK in trauma; not all in the mind: frozen shoulder personality debunked; open and arthroscopic repair equivalent in shoulder instability; natural history of olecranon fractures not so bleak?; and resurfacing of the shoulder: a Danish perspective.
The April 2015 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: Distal clavicular resection not indicated in cuff repair?; Platelet-rich plasma in rotator cuff repair; Radial head geometry: time to change?; Heterotopic ossification in elbow trauma; Another look at heterotopic ossification in the humerus; Triceps on for total elbow arthroplasty?; Predicting outcomes in rotator cuff repair; Deltoid fatty infiltration and reverse shoulder arthroplasty
We report the use of the reverse shoulder prosthesis in the revision of a failed shoulder hemiarthroplasty in 19 shoulders in 18 patients (7 men, 11 women) with severe pain and loss of function. The primary procedure had been undertaken for glenohumeral arthritis associated with severe rotator cuff deficiency. Statistically significant improvements were seen in pain and functional outcome. After a mean follow-up of 44 months (24 to 89), mean forward flexion improved by 26.4° and mean abduction improved by 35°. There were six prosthesis-related complications in six shoulders (32%), five of which had severe bone loss of the glenoid, proximal humerus or both. Three shoulders (16%) had non-prosthesis related complications. The use of the reverse shoulder prosthesis provides improvement in pain and function for patients with failure of a hemiarthroplasty for glenohumeral arthritis and rotator cuff deficiency. However, high rates of complications were associated with glenoid and proximal humeral bone loss.
The aim of the study was to develop a quantitative scoring system
to predict whether a large-to-massive rotator cuff tear was arthroscopically
reparable prior to surgery. We conducted a retrospective review of the pre-operative MR imaging
and surgical records of 87 patients (87 shoulders) who underwent
arthroscopic repair of a large-to-massive rotator cuff tear. Patients
were divided into two groups, based on the surgical outcome of the
repair. Of the 87 patients, 53 underwent complete repair (Group
I) and 34 an incomplete repair (Group II). Pre-operative MR images
were reviewed to quantify several variables. Between-group differences
were evaluated and multiple logistic regression analysis was used
to calculate the predictive value of significant variables. The
reparability index (RI) was constructed using the odds ratios of
significant variables and a receiver operating characteristic curve
analysis performed to identify the optimal RI cutoff to differentiate
between the two groups.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this review is to address controversies
in the management of dislocations of the acromioclavicular joint. Current
evidence suggests that operative rather than non-operative treatment
of Rockwood grade III dislocations results in better cosmetic and
radiological results, similar functional outcomes and longer time
off work. Early surgery results in better functional and radiological
outcomes with a reduced risk of infection and loss of reduction compared
with delayed surgery. Surgical options include acromioclavicular fixation, coracoclavicular
fixation and coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction. Although
non-controlled studies report promising results for arthroscopic
coracoclavicular fixation, there are no comparative studies with
open techniques to draw conclusions about the best surgical approach.
Non-rigid coracoclavicular fixation with tendon graft or synthetic
materials, or rigid acromioclavicular fixation with a hook plate,
is preferable to fixation with coracoclavicular screws owing to
significant risks of loosening and breakage. The evidence, although limited, also suggests that anatomical
ligament reconstruction with autograft or certain synthetic grafts
may have better outcomes than non-anatomical transfer of the coracoacromial
ligament. It has been suggested that this is due to better restoration
horizontal and vertical stability of the joint. Despite the large number of recently published studies, there
remains a lack of high-quality evidence, making it difficult to
draw firm conclusions regarding these controversial issues. Cite this article:
The August 2015 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: Clavicular fractures are being fixed – but how?;
Failed internal fixation of a fracture of the
proximal humerus produces many challenges with limited surgical options.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes after
the use of a reverse shoulder arthroplasty under these circumstances.
Between 2007 and 2012, 19 patients (15 women and four men, mean
age 66 years; 52 to 82) with failed internal fixation after a proximal
humeral fracture, underwent implant removal and reverse shoulder arthroplasty
(RSA). The mean follow-up was 36 months (25 to 60). The mean American
Shoulder and Elbow Score improved from 27.8 to 50.1 (p = 0.019).
The mean Simple Shoulder Test score improved from 0.7 to 3.2 (p
= 0.020), and the mean visual analogue scale for pain improved from
6.8 to 4.3 (p = 0.012). Mean forward flexion improved from 58.7°
to 101.1° (p <
0.001), mean abduction from 58.7° to 89.1° (p
= 0.012), mean external rotation from 10.7° to 23.1° (p = 0.043)
and mean internal rotation from buttocks to L4 (p = 0.034). A major
complication was recorded in five patients (26%) (one intra-operative
fracture, loosening of the humeral component in two and two peri-prosthetic
fractures). A total of 15 patients (79%) rated their outcome as
excellent or good, one (5%) as satisfactory, and three (16%) as
unsatisfactory. An improvement in outcomes and pain can be expected when performing
a RSA as a salvage procedure after failed internal fixation of a
fracture of the proximal humerus. Patients should be cautioned about
the possibility for major complications following this technically
demanding procedure. Cite this article:
To date, there is insufficient evidence available to compare
the outcome of cemented and uncemented fixation of the humeral stem
in reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). A systemic review comprising 41 clinical studies was performed
to compare the functional outcome and rate of complications of cemented
and uncemented stems in RSA. These included 1455 cemented and 329
uncemented shoulders. The clinical characteristics of the two groups
were similar. Variables were compared using pooled frequency-weighted means
and relative risk ratios (RR).Aims
Methods
The February 2015 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: Proximal Humerus fractures a comprehensive review, Predicting complications in shoulder ORIF, The Coronoid Revisited, Remplissage and bankart repair for Hill-Sach’s lesions, Diabetes and elbow arthroplasty, Salvage surgery for failed bankart repair, Sternoclavicular Joint Reconstruction, Steroids effective in the short-term for tennis elbow
The August 2014 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: Myofibroblasts perhaps not implicated in post-traumatic elbow stiffness; olecranon tip biomechanically sound for coranoid reconstruction; obesity and elbow replacement don’t mix; single column plating successful for extra-articular distal humeral fractures; satisfaction not predictable in frozen shoulder; tenodesis and repair both acceptable in Grade II SLAP tears; glenoid bone grafting is effective and glenohumeral articular lesions best seen with an arthroscope.
We performed a comprehensive systematic review of the literature to examine the role of hemiarthroplasty in the early management of fractures of the proximal humerus. In all, 16 studies dealing with 810 hemiarthroplasties in 808 patients with a mean age of 67.7 years (22 to 91) and a mean follow-up of 3.7 years (0.66 to 14) met the inclusion criteria. Most of the fractures were four-part fractures or fracture-dislocations. Several types of prosthesis were used. Early passive movement on the day after surgery and active movement after union of the tuberosities at about six weeks was described in most cases. The mean active anterior elevation was to 105.7° (10° to 180°) and the mean abduction to 92.4° (15° to 170°). The incidence of superficial and deep infection was 1.55% and 0.64%, respectively. Complications related to the fixation and healing of the tuberosities were observed in 86 of 771 cases (11.15%). The estimated incidence of heterotopic ossification was 8.8% and that of proximal migration of the humeral head 6.8%. The mean Constant score was 56.63 (11 to 98). At the final follow-up, no pain or only mild pain was experienced by most patients, but marked limitation of function persisted.
We used an inverted shoulder arthroplasty in 43 consecutive patients with a mean age of 78 years (65 to 97) who had sustained a three- or four-part fracture of the upper humerus. All except two were reviewed with a mean follow-up of 22 months (6 to 58). The clinical outcome was satisfactory with a mean active anterior elevation of 97° (35° to 160°) and a mean active external rotation in abduction of 30° (0° to 80°). The mean Constant and the mean modified Constant scores were respectively 44 (16 to 69) and 66% (25% to 97%). Complications included three patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, five with neurological complications, most of which resolved, and one with an anterior dislocation. Radiography showed peri-prosthetic calcification in 36 patients (90%), displacement of the tuberosities in 19 (53%) and a scapular notch in ten (25%). Compared with conventional hemiarthroplasty, satisfactory mobility was obtained despite frequent migration of the tuberosities. However, long-term results are required before reverse shoulder arthroplasty can be recommended as a routine procedure in complex fractures of the upper humerus in the elderly.
The February 2014 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: whether arthroscopic acromioplasty is a cost-effective intervention; shockwave therapy in cuff tear; whether microfracture relieves short-term pain in cuff repair; the promising early results from L-PRF augmented cuff repairs; rehabilitation following cuff repair; supination strength following biceps tendon rupture; whether longer is better in humeral components; fatty degeneration in a rodent model; and the controversial acromioclavicular joint dislocation.
We present six patients with chronic dislocation of the elbow who were treated by primary semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty. All were women with a mean age of 65 years (51 to 76), the mean interval between dislocation and surgery was 17 weeks (5 to 52) and the mean follow-up 58 months (24 to 123). The most dramatic improvement was in function. The mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon score was 5.2 times better (p <
0.001) and the mean total range of movement increased from 33° to 121° (p <
0.001) after operation. Three patients developed wear of polyethylene. One required revision for a periprosthetic fracture, and another required a bushing exchange. Primary semiconstrained elbow arthroplasty provides significant, predictable functional improvement. Potential solutions for wear of polyethylene include a different operative technique or design of implant. Despite the high incidence of such wear, total elbow arthroplasty should be considered as a viable treatment option for chronic dislocation of the elbow in elderly patients.
The December 2013 Shoulder &
Elbow Roundup360 looks at: Platelet-rich plasma; Arthroscopic treatment of sternoclavicular joint osteoarthritis; Synchronous arthrolysis and cuff repair; Arthroscopic arthrolysis; Regional blockade in the beach chair; Recurrent instability; Avoiding iatrogenic nerve injury in elbow arthroscopy; and Complex reconstruction of total elbow revisions