Survival of the Aequalis total shoulder replacement at a minimum 20-year follow-up: a clinical and radiographic study.

AIMS: Shoulder replacement is increasingly performed for end-stage arthritis. Information on the long-term survival and patient outcomes is very limited. This study aimed to quantify the survival and clinical outcome at a minimum of 20-yr follow-up. METHODS: A single-center, single-surgeon, consecutive cohort study was performed. Forty-four shoulder replacements in 40 patients (age at surgery 68.5 years, 82.5% female, preoperative visual analog scale [VAS] pain score 5.1/10, standard deviation [SD] 2.7) implanted between 1996 and 2000 were assessed. All-cause construct survival, radiographic glenoid and humeral stem loosening, radiographic humeral head migration, and patient-reported outcome measures were assessed. RESULTS: Survival with all-cause revision as an endpoint was 84.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 60.7, 94.1) at 20 years, glenoid loosening was seen in all patients who survived to the 20-year follow-up. Survival of rotator cuff integrity was 16.8% (95% CI 3.5, 38.5) at 20 years. VAS pain scores demonstrated improvement at 10 years (mean change -4/10) but not at 20 years (effect size -0.15, mean change 0.4/10, SD 2.7). At 20 years, 72% of patients had died with the prosthesis in situ. CONCLUSION: Older patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty are unlikely to require revision in their lifetime. However, beyond 10 years, a large proportion of implants demonstrate glenoid loosening, humeral head migration, and declining patient outcomes. This information will be of use to patients and clinicians when discussing the potential outcomes of surgery.

Clinical and radiologic outcomes following total shoulder arthroplasty using Arthrex Eclipse stemless humeral component with minimum 2 years' follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Stemless humeral components benefit from less morbidity, better reproduction of the humeral anatomy, ease of revision, and fewer stem-related complications. Encouraging results are available up to 9 years after surgery from the designer's series. This is an independent study of 100 consecutive Eclipse stemless prostheses for osteoarthritis with a minimum 2-year follow-up (range, 2-6 years). METHODS: We included only total shoulder arthroplasties performed for osteoarthritis. The primary outcome was the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) after 2 years. Secondary outcome measures were change in shoulder range of movement and radiographic analysis of prosthesis size and position. RESULTS: The mean OSS at 2 years was 38 of 48, with a mean improvement of +19 points (range, +17 to +22 points; P < .001). There was no significant deterioration in OSS after 3 or 4 years' follow-up. Statistically significant improvement was seen in arm elevation and external rotation (P < .001). There were 5 reoperations-1 for impingement of the biceps stump and 4 revisions to reverse arthroplasty for cuff failure. Of the prostheses, 92% were sized within 2 mm of the anatomic head size, and in 76% of prostheses, the center of rotation was within 3 mm of the native anatomy. An incomplete radiolucent line was present in zone B (around the cage screw) in a single patient at 2 years following surgery. There were no cases of loosening or infection. CONCLUSION: The functional and radiographic outcomes of Eclipse total shoulder replacement are excellent. We were able to accurately reproduce the native anatomy in the majority of cases, with no implant loosening, at 2 to 6 years' follow-up.

A randomized controlled trial of arthroscopic capsular release versus hydrodilatation in the treatment of primary frozen shoulder.

BACKGROUND: Arthroscopic capsular release (ACR) and hydrodilatation (HD) have been developed for the management of frozen shoulder refractory to conservative treatment. To date no randomized trial has directly compared the efficacy of both interventions. The aim of this trial was to determine whether the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) differs between patients with frozen shoulder randomized to treatment with ACR or HD. METHODS: Patients presenting with severe idiopathic frozen shoulder deemed suitable for surgical intervention by a consultant shoulder surgeon were randomized to ACR or HD. The primary outcome measure was OSS at 6 months, with secondary outcomes measures of the EuroQol-5D visual analog scale, external rotation, complications, and crossover rate also recorded. RESULTS: Between June 2013 and December 2016, 50 patients were randomized to HD or ACR. The average age of the HD and ACR cohorts was 55.2 and 52.6 years, respectively (P = .36). At 6 months after the intervention, 20 patients were available for follow-up in the HD cohort and 19 in the ACR cohort. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in OSS from baseline, but the OSS was significantly higher in the ACR cohort than the HD cohort (43.8 vs. 38.5, P = .023). The OSS was noted to improve rapidly after the intervention, with 75% of improvement in OSS noted at 6 weeks after surgery in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients randomized to ACR reported a significantly higher OSS at 6 months than those randomized to HD. Both groups, however, showed a significant improvement.

Primum non nocere: a case of a humeral fracture in a patient with fibrodysplasia progressiva ossificans.

Fibrodysplasia progressiva ossificans (FPO) is an extremely rare condition characterized by abnormal heterotopic bone formation. The condition is eponymously known as 'stoneman' disease because patients can become effectively entombed within abnormal heterotopic bone. We present the first known case of a diaphyseal humeral fracture managed conservatively in an adult patient with this condition. This patient already had a pre-existing bony bar from a fusion mass involving the thoracic spine, scapula and ribs to her proximal humerus splinting the arm in a position of adduction with the palm of her hand facing towards her groin. This patient also suffered a concomitant unstable cervical spinal fracture for which full spinal precautions were needed. As a result of the rapid bone forming nature of her condition, the humeral fracture was placed in a position where the hand would face outwards to make perineal care and personal hygiene easier in that the fracture was expected to unite in this new position as a result of her FPO.

Association between Propionibacterium acnes and frozen shoulder: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Frozen shoulder has not previously been shown to be associated with infection. The present study set out to confirm the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between infection and frozen shoulder using two modern scientific methods, extended culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for bacterial nucleic acids. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 10 patients undergoing arthroscopic release for stage II idiopathic frozen shoulder had two biopsies of tissue taken from the affected shoulder joint capsule at the time of surgery, along with control biopsies of subdermal fat. The biopsies and controls were examined with extended culture and PCR for microbial nucleic acid. RESULTS: Eight of the 10 patients had positive findings on extended culture in their shoulder capsule and, in six of these, Propionibacterium acnes was present. CONCLUSIONS: The findings mean that we must reject the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between infection and frozen shoulder. More studies are urgently needed to confirm or refute these findings. If they are confirmed, this could potentially lead to new and effective treatments for this common, painful and disabling condition. Could P. acnes be the Helicobacter of frozen shoulder?