[Short stem shoulder prosthesis : concept and first results]

The trend in shoulder arthroplasty is moving away from long stemmed, cemented humeral components to cementless, stemless and metaphyseal fixed implants and to humeral resurfacing. The cementless short stem prosthesis presents a concept that combines the advantages of a bone-saving implantation with a straightforward revision option. Furthermore, the stem may serve as a carrier for a convertible anatomic and reversed modular system. The concept consists of a stabile proximal fixation of the prosthesis by compaction of metaphyseal cancellous bone. After 1 year follow-up the short stem prosthesis proved to be an implant with few complications and clinical results comparable to those of established prosthetic systems.