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Study shows better pain and function after reverse shoulder arthroplasty
Compared with hemiarthroplasty, reverse shoulder arthroplasty resulted in better pain and function, as well as lower revision rate, according to study results.
Researchers randomly assigned 62 patients older than 70 years to receive reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) or hemiarthroplasty (HA). Mean length of follow-up was 28.5 months.
Study results showed a significantly higher mean University of California—Los Angeles and Constant scores, forward elevation and abduction in patients who underwent RSA compared with those who underwent HA; however, no difference was found in internal rotation, and patients who underwent HA had a higher Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score, according to the researchers.
The researchers also found 56.6% of tuberosities healed and 30% resorbed in the HA group vs. the RSA group, in which 64.5% of tuberosities healed and 13.2% resorbed.
In the HA group, there were two complications: one manipulation under general anesthesia due to postoperative stiffness and six patients who had proximal migration that required revision to RSA. Only one patient experienced notching in the RSA group, whereas one patient developed hematoma and another a deep infection requiring a two-stage revision and another RSA, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.