Reverse shoulder arthroplasty in patients younger than 65 years, minimum 5-year follow-up

Indications for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) are expanding, and more young patients are undergoing RTSA. Younger patients are expected to place increased functional demands on their shoulder, which may affect implant performance and longevity. Reports on longer-term outcomes in young patients remain limited. This study evaluates the minimum 5-year functional outcomes of RTSA in patients younger than 65 years.

A retrospective review was performed using a multinational prospective shoulder arthroplasty database of a single implant system, Exactech Equinoxe (Gainesville, FL, USA). All RTSAs performed between 2007 and 2014 in patients younger than 65 years with minimum 5-year follow-up were included. Shoulder function was assessed preoperatively and at last follow-up via range-of-motion measurements and multiple patient-reported outcome measures.

Fifty-two shoulders were evaluated at an average follow-up of 6.3 years. Abduction, forward flexion, internal rotation, and Simple Shoulder Test, Constant, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, University of California-Los Angeles, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, and visual analog scale scores all showed statistically significant improvements greater than the minimum clinically important difference at the time of last follow-up. Three patients (5.8%) required revision surgery after a mean of 7.5 years and 1 more suffered an acromial stress fracture, bringing the total complication rate to 7.7%. Five patients (9.6%) demonstrated scapular notching, one of whom required revision arthroplasty.

RTSA provides clinically significant improvement in nearly all functional measures at a mean follow-up of 6.3 years in patients younger than 65 years. The implants appear to have good midterm survivorship; only 5.8% of patients required revision.