Arthroscopic Evaluation and Treatment of Complications That Arise Following Prosthetic Shoulder Arthroplasty

Arthroscopy may be used to diagnose symptomatic glenoid loosening following anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA), and arthroscopic glenoid component removal may suffice as treatment for some patients. Arthroscopy may be used to diagnose shoulder prosthetic joint infection (PJI) following aTSA and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Tissues are biopsied from multiple sites within the joint and the subdeltoid or subacromial space, and they are cultured for a minimum of 14 days. Postoperative adhesions arising after prosthetic shoulder arthroplasty (PSA) may be released arthroscopically. However, other problems contributing to shoulder stiffness such as component malpositioning or shoulder PJI require additional intervention. Arthroscopy may be used to repair select rotator cuff tears that arise acutely following aTSA, but chronic attritional tears do not heal after repair; therefore, revision to RSA often is needed. Many complications following PSA, such as infection, fixed instability, humeral component loosening, and major humeral or glenoid bone loss, are not adequately treated using arthroscopic techniques. However, arthroscopy following PSA may help to diagnose and treat other complications, even as the precise indications following aTSA and RSA remain unclear.