A novel humeral alignment guide for improving stem alignment in reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a retrospective...

Cementless short stems are widely used in reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) because they preserve bone and facilitate revision. However, they are susceptible to varus or valgus malalignments. We developed a humeral-alignment guide (HAG), an extramedullary device, to assist stem insertion. This study evaluated whether HAG improves postoperative stem alignment.

Of 120 patients who underwent RSA at one institution between March 2025 and March 2026, 100 treated with Perform Humeral Stem for cuff tear arthropathy, irreparable rotator cuff tear, or osteoarthritis were retrospectively analysed. The HAG was introduced in September 2025, and consecutive cases before and after introduction were assigned to the control and HAG groups, respectively. Four board-certified surgeons performed surgery in both groups. Valgus was defined as positive and varus was defined as negative. Absolute stem alignment, malalignment ≥ 5°, canal filling ratios, operative time, blood loss, and transfusion rate were compared.

Baseline characteristics, surgeon distribution, use of patient-specific instruments, and subscapularis repair rates were comparable between the groups. Operative time, blood loss, and transfusion rates were similar. Although signed stem alignment was comparable, absolute stem alignment was significantly smaller in the HAG group than in the control group (2.2 ± 1.4° vs. 4.8 ± 2.9°, P < .05). The proportion of stems within 5° of neutral was higher with HAG (46/50 vs. 26/50, P < .05), whereas malalignment ≥ 5° was reduced. The canal filling ratios did not differ.

HAG improved humeral stem alignment reproducibility in RSA and reduced malalignment ≥ 5° without increasing operative time, blood loss, or transfusion rate.