Functional outcome after shoulder arthroplasty for primary osteoarthritis: a multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Shoulder arthroplasty outcomes are typically reported in single-institution or single-prosthesis series.
• A need exists for multicenter data on specific prosthetic designs across various surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical outcomes of a single prosthetic design (Global Shoulder) for primary osteoarthritis of the shoulder across multiple surgeons.
• To compare total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) versus hemiarthroplasty (HA) in patients with primary shoulder osteoarthritis.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, multicenter clinical outcome study involving 176 shoulders in 160 patients with primary osteoarthritis.
• Evaluation of a single prosthetic design (Global Shoulder) used by 19 surgeons, including 133 TSA and 43 HA.
• Assessment of preoperative and postoperative pain, function, patient satisfaction, and complications.

Main Results:

• Both TSA and HA demonstrated significant improvements (P <.001) in all evaluated outcome parameters.
• 95% of patients achieved good or excellent pain relief, improved function, and patient satisfaction.
• Intraoperative complications occurred in 5.4% and postoperative complications in 7.8%, with glenoid loosening and humeral head subluxation being most common postoperatively.

Conclusions:

• Prosthetic arthroplasty, including both TSA and HA, provides significant pain relief and functional improvement for primary shoulder osteoarthritis.
• Outcomes are comparable between TSA and HA in patients with repairable rotator cuff tears.
• Careful surgical technique is crucial to minimize complications like intraoperative fractures and postoperative instability.