Mid-term outcomes following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) is increasingly common, surpassing anatomic shoulder arthroplasty.
• Prior studies indicate potential functional decline in rTSA patients over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mid-term clinical outcomes and implant survival rates for rTSA.
• To provide data on functional improvements and patient-reported benefits following rTSA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 56 rTSA cases.
• Collected demographic data (age, BMI, smoking status, revision status).
• Assessed range of motion (ROM), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores, and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) scores pre- and post-operatively. Radiographic evaluation included glenoid morphology, lucency, and loosening.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in forward elevation (82° to 133°), external rotation (23° to 36°), and internal rotation (L3 to L1) were observed (p<0.01).
• Patient-reported outcomes showed substantial gains: ASES scores improved from 31 to 70, SST scores from 2 to 7, and VAS pain scores decreased from 6 to 2 (p<0.01).
• Mid-term implant survival was high, with 5-year survival at 98% and 10-year survival at 83%. Postoperative complications included scapular notching (18), glenoid loosening (3), humeral loosening (18), and tuberosity resorption (8).

Conclusions:

• rTSA demonstrates significant mid-term improvements in shoulder range of motion and pain reduction.
• These findings suggest that rTSA offers durable functional benefits, supporting its use for a wide range of patients.