Does glenohumeral offset affect clinical outcomes in a lateralized reverse total shoulder arthroplasty?

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) exhibits high rates of success and low complication rates. rTSA has undergone numerous design adaptations over recent years, and lateralization of implant components provides theoretical and biomechanical benefits in stability and range of motion (ROM) as well as decreased rates of notching. However, the magnitude of implant lateralization and its effect on these outcomes is less well understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how increasing glenohumeral offset affects outcomes after rTSA, specifically in a lateralized humerus + medialized glenoid implant model.

Primary rTSA using a lateralized humeral + medialized glenoid implant model performed at a single academic institution between 2012 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) parameters and clinical outcomes including ROM were evaluated both pre- and postoperatively. Pre- and postoperative radiographs were analyzed for measurement of glenohumeral offset, defined as the acromial-tuberosity offset (ATO) distance on the anteroposterior radiograph.

A total of 130 rTSAs were included in the analysis, with a mean follow-up of 35 mo. The mean postoperative absolute ATO was 16 mm, and the mean delta ATO (difference from pre- to postoperatively) was 4.6 mm further lateralized. Among all study patients, improvements in all ROM parameters and all PROs were observed from pre- to postoperative assessments. When assessing for the effects of lateralization on these outcomes, multivariate analysis failed to reveal a significant effect from the absolute postoperative ATO or the delta ATO on any outcome parameter.

rTSA using a lateralized humeral + medialized glenoid implant model exhibits excellent clinical outcomes in ROM and PROs. However, the magnitude of lateralization as measured radiographically by the ATO did not significantly affect these outcomes; patients exhibited universally good outcomes irrespective of the degree of offset restoration.