Shoulder/Elbow News

The Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee recently met to provide advice and recommendations to the FDA about immunological responses to metal-containing products regulated as medical devices, including metal-containing implants and dental amalgam.

NEW YORK — Rates of implant removal or revision following radial head arthroplasty may be influenced by younger patient age, chronic indications and certain aspects of prosthesis design, according to results presented at the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Annual Meeting.

NEW YORK — At the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Annual Meeting, Surena Namdari, MD, from Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, discussed the short-term outcomes of lower trapezius transfer with Achilles allograft for posterosuperior irreparable rotator cuff tears. He said his institute changed indications for lower trapezius transfer with Achilles allograft. They no longer use it routinely for patients with less than 90° preoperative elevation. For the surgery to be successful, it requires highly motivated patients who can deal with the rehabilitation and long recovery.

EFORT Open Reviews is the new open access journal from EFORT and Bone & Joint Publishing. All articles are free to read online with no subscription required.

NEW YORK — Reverse shoulder arthroplasty performed with an alternate scapular line baseplate orientation yielded clinical improvements among patients with glenoid bone loss, according to results presented here.

NEW YORK — At the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Annual Meeting, Patrick Denard, MD, discussed his tricks for superior capsular reconstruction. He said the best indications for this procedure are patients younger than 70 years old, with little to no arthritis and without adaptive changes of the proximal humerus. Denard said to delay strengthening to 4 months and strenuous activities until after 6 months.

NEW YORK — A retrospective review presented at the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Annual Meeting showed younger patients with less complex proximal humerus fractures were more commonly treated with open reduction and internal fixation, while older patients with more complex fractures were more commonly treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

NEW YORK — Results presented at the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Annual Meeting showed button fixation had a significantly greater risk of recurrent shoulder dislocation but lower reoperation rates compared with screw fixation.

NEW YORK — Use of a locked plating system may be safe and effective with an acceptable failure rate in geriatric patients with olecranon fractures, according to results presented here.

NEW YORK—At the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Annual Meeting, Lawrence Gulotta, MD, from Hospital for Special Surgery, discussed a study that compared clinical outcomes after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty using augmented glenoid baseplates vs. use with standard glenoid baseplates. He said there were similar patient-reported outcomes, functional outcome scores, X-rays and complications seen between augmented baseplates and standard baseplates.