Convertible Humeral and Glenoid Components for Anatomic Shoulder Arthroplasty

As anatomic shoulder arthroplasty continues to increase in popularity, there will be a similar need for revising these implants to reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. To address this problem, convertible glenoid and humeral components have been developed to facilitate a less complicated, less traumatic, and bone-preserving procedure. However, convertible glenoids have a historically higher failure rate due to loosening and joint overstuffing when used for anatomic shoulder arthroplasty, and convertible humeral stems can be problematic at the time of revision and often need to be removed because of stem malposition. Despite these issues, there have been recent advances with the humeral and glenoid components which continue to make these implant options appealing and relevant. At the same time, there is a trend toward stemless arthroplasty which makes a convertible humeral stem less important due to the ease of revision from a stemless component to a stemmed reverse shoulder arthroplasty.