Arthroscopic management of shoulder osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) can cause severe pain and dysfunction of the shoulder. When conservative treatment fails and operative treatments such as shoulder arthroplasty and open glenohumeral resurfacing are not advisable, shoulder arthroscopy may be used to treat shoulder OA. Arthroscopic treatment of concomitant pathology in the shoulder including subacromial decompression, labral repair, capsular release, microfracture, and distal clavicle excision have been shown to yield good results when combined with glenohumeral debridement in the treatment of shoulder OA. Arthroscopic glenohumeral resurfacing has recently been described and has shown encouraging results. Arthroscopic treatment appears to have better results in shoulders with a lesser degree of osteoarthritis.