Computer Image-Guided Precise Acromioplasty for Reducing the Critical Shoulder Angle

The shoulders with critical shoulder angle (CSA) of greater than 33-35° are associated with rotator cuff tears, whereas a CSA of less than 30° is likely to be osteoarthritic. However, anterior acromioplasty or lateral acromioplasty could not reduce high CSAs to the desired range (30-33°), with satisfactory accuracy and efficacy. Thus, we introduce a computer image-guided precise acromioplasty (CIG-PAP) technique, an individualized treatment based on three-dimensional planning. We believe that the introduction of this technique will provide an alternative approach to reduce a large CSA to the desired range (30-33°).