Shoulder arthroplasty for rheumatoid arthritis: 303 consecutive cases with minimum 5-year follow-up

This is an update on a previously documented cohort of patients who underwent shoulder arthroplasty for rheumatoid arthritis, with a minimum 5-year clinical follow-up.

The survivorship of 303 consecutive shoulder arthroplasties (108 hemiarthroplasties, 195 total shoulder arthroplasties) for rheumatoid arthritis at one institution was assessed. There were 255 arthroplasties in the clinical analysis and 188 in the radiographic analysis.

Kaplan-Meier survivorship free of revision at 5 years and 10 years was 96.1% and 92.9% for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and 89.2% and 87.9% for hemiarthroplasty (HA). The most common indications were glenoid loosening (5%) and infection (2%) for TSA revision and glenoid arthrosis (7%) for HA revision. Pain relief was greater with TSA than with HA. In patients with an intact rotator cuff, in comparing TSA with HA, those with a TSA had greater improvements in pain scores (-2.7 vs. -1.8 on a 5-point scale) and degrees of elevation (45 versus 24) (P = .08). Approximately 30% of humeral components and 73% of glenoid components had periprosthetic lucencies. There was a shift in position of the glenoid in 33% of TSAs, and 36% were "at risk." Eighty-one percent of HAs had moderate or severe glenoid erosion.

Both HA and TSA provide pain relief and improved motion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In patients with an intact rotator cuff, pain relief and range of motion are more improved with TSA compared with HA. There is a high rate of component lucency, but component revision is uncommon.

Level IV, case series, treatment study.