The outcomes of shoulder arthroplasty in those aged ≥70 years with glenohumeral arthritis: a New Zealand Joint Registry study

Patients 75 years or older with primary glenohumeral arthritis and an intact rotator cuff show similar clinical improvement after reverse or anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

The optimal management of primary glenohumeral arthritis (GHOA) in the elderly is an ongoing topic of debate. The purpose of this study was to compare functional outcomes and complications in patients aged 75 years or older treated with anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) or reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) for primary GHOA with an intact rotator cuff.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on a prospectively maintained database which was queried for patients 75 years of age or older who underwent TSA or RSA for primary GHOA with an intact rotator cuff at a single institution between 2012 and 2021 with minimum 2-year follow-up. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including Visual Analog Scale for pain, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, and Subjective Shoulder Value, as well as active range of motion including forward flexion, external rotation, internal rotation, were collected preoperatively and postoperatively. Complications, reoperations, and satisfaction were also recorded. The percentage of patients achieving clinically significant improvement was evaluated with the minimally clinical important difference, substantial clinical benefit, and patient acceptable symptomatic state for each PRO.

RESULTS

One-hundred and 4 patients were available for analysis, including 67 TSA patients and 37 RSAs with a mean follow-up of 39.4 months. Preoperative baseline characteristics, PROs, and range of motion were similar between groups. RSA was more commonly performed for eccentric glenoid wear (Walch B2/B3, 62% vs. 22%; P < .001). While clinical outcomes improved comparably in both groups, the TSA cohort showed significantly greater improvement in external rotation (36° vs. 26°; P = .013). Both cohorts had low revision (3% for TSA vs. 0% for RSA) and complication (7% for TSA vs. 5% for RSA; P = .677) rates. Satisfaction was similar in both groups (93% for TSA vs. 92% for RSA; P = .900). Clinically significant improvement was comparable between groups based on the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (minimally clinical important difference, 93% for TSA vs. 100% for RSA; substantial clinical benefit, 82% vs. 95%; patient acceptable symptomatic state, 67% vs. 78%; P > .05).

CONCLUSION

In this retrospective small sample size comparison study, TSA and RSA provide similar short-term clinical outcomes for patients 75 years and older with primary GHOA and an intact rotator cuff. Complication and revision rates are comparably low at short-term follow-up. Our data suggests that advanced age alone should not be used as a decision-making tool for TSA vs. RSA in the setting of primary GHOA with an intact rotator cuff.

High rate of clinically relevant improvement following anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty for glenohumeral osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND

The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is defined as the smallest meaningful change in a health domain that a patient would identify as important. Thus, an improvement that exceeds the MCID can be used to define a successful treatment for the individual patient.

AIM

To quantify the rate of clinical improvement following anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty for glenohumeral osteoarthritis.

METHODS

Patients were treated with the Global Unite total shoulder platform arthroplasty between March 2017 and February 2019 at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Denmark. The patients were evaluated preoperatively and 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months postoperatively using the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS), Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) and Constant-Murley Score (CMS). The rate of clinically relevant improvement was defined as the proportion of patients who had an improvement 24 months postoperatively that exceeded the MCID. Based on previous literature, MCID for WOOS, OSS, and CMS were defined as 12.3, 4.3, and 12.8 respectively.

RESULTS

Forty-nine patients with a Global Unite total shoulder platform arthroplasty were included for the final analysis. Mean age at the time of surgery was 66 years (range 49.0-79.0, SD: 8.3) and 65% were women. One patient was revised within the two years follow-up. The mean improvement from the preoperative assessment to the two-year follow-up was 46.1 points [95% confidence interval (95%CI): 39.7-53.3, P < 0.005] for WOOS, 18.2 points (95%CI: 15.5-21.0, P < 0.005) for OSS and 37.8 points (95%CI: 31.5-44.0, P < 0.005) for CMS. Two years postoperatively, 41 patients (87%) had an improvement in WOOS that exceeded the MCID, 45 patients (94%) had an improvement in OSS that exceeded the MCID, and 42 patients (88%) had an improvement in CMS that exceeded the MCID.

CONCLUSION

Based on three shoulder-specific outcome measures we find that approximately 90% of patients has a clinically relevant improvement. This is a clear message when informing patients about their prognosis.

Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Versus Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Patients Aged Over 70 Without a Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tear: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction

This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the revision rates, complications, and outcomes in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA) and reverse TSA (rTSA) performed for primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis in patients aged over 70 years without a full-thickness rotator cuff tear.

Materials and Methods

We performed a systematic literature search identifying comparative studies meeting the above patient criteria and published from January 2010 to May 2022 from 3 databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. We performed the systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and the study was prospectively registered on PROSPERO.

Results

From the 1798 studies identified from the initial literature search, 4 met our inclusion criteria. Two thousand seven hundred thirty-one shoulder arthroplasties (1472 aTSA and 1259 rTSA) were evaluated with a minimum follow up of 2 years. A statistically significant lower revision rate was observed in rTSA compared to aTSA (odds ratio [OR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30, 0.84, p < .05). No significant difference was noted between aTSA and rTSA in overall complication rate (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.34, 2.86, p = .97) while aTSA displayed a statistically significant improved postoperative Constant-Murley score [aTSA: 80(75; 82), rTSA: 68(66; 76.5), p < .001].

Conclusion

Higher revision rates were identified following aTSA in our study population, although admittedly this is within retrospective studies. aTSA displayed equal functional results and postoperative complications compared to rTSA in patients over 70 without a full-thickness rotator cuff tear. Given these similar results a shoulder surgeon must carefully consider each patient individually prior to deciding the optimal form of arthroplasty to offer.

Similar rates of revision surgery following primary anatomic compared with reverse shoulder arthroplasty in patients aged 70 years or older with glenohumeral osteoarthritis: a cohort study of 3791 patients

BACKGROUND

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA), initially indicated for cuff tear arthropathy, is increasingly used to treat elderly patients with primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) and an intact rotator cuff. This is often done to avoid revision surgery in elderly patients for rotator cuff failure with anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) despite traditionally good outcomes of TSA. We sought to determine whether there was a difference in outcomes in patients aged ≥70 years who received RTSA vs. TSA for GHOA.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from a US integrated health care system's shoulder arthroplasty registry. Patients aged ≥70 years who underwent primary shoulder arthroplasty for GHOA with an intact rotator cuff were included (2012-2021). RTSA was compared with TSA. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to evaluate all-cause revision risk during follow-up, whereas multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate 90-day emergency department (ED) visits and 90-day readmissions.

RESULTS

The final study sample comprised 685 RTSA patients and 3106 TSA patients. The mean age was 75.8 years (standard deviation, 4.6 years), and 43.4% of patients were men. After accounting for confounders, we observed no significant difference in all-cause revision risk for RTSA vs. TSA (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-1.58). The most common reason for revision following RTSA was glenoid component loosening (40.0%). Over half of revisions following TSA were for rotator cuff tear (54.0%). No difference based on procedure type was observed in the likelihood of 90-day ED visits (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.71-1.26) and 90-day readmissions (odds ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.83-2.09).

CONCLUSION

RTSA and TSA for GHOA with an intact rotator cuff in patients aged ≥70 years had a similar revision risk, as well as a similar likelihood of 90-day ED visits and readmissions. Although revision risk was similar, the most common causes of revision were different, with rotator cuff tears in TSA patients and glenoid component loosening in RTSA patients.

Outcomes of anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in patients over the age of 70: a systematic review

Background

Both anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (ATSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) reliably improve pain and function for a variety of indications. However, there remain concerns about these procedures among elderly patients due to their general health, the potential for lesser functional gain, and the possible need for revision at an even older age. The purpose of this review is to compare the clinical outcomes, radiographic outcomes, and complications of ATSA and RTSA among patients older than 70 years.

Methods

A systematic review was performed using searches of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. The inclusion criteria were studies with patients older than 70 years who were treated with a primary ATSA or RTSA and clinical results reported at a minimum of 2 years. All indications for primary RTSA except for tumor were included. Outcomes of interest included patient-reported outcomes (PROs), range of motion, patient satisfaction, radiographic changes, complication and revision rates, and implant survival.

Results

A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. At a mean follow-up of 3.4 years for ATSA and 3.1 years for RTSA, there were significant improvements in pain, range of motion, and PROs for both prostheses. Patients who underwent ATSA generally had better motion and functional outcomes compared to those who underwent RTSA, though these comparisons were made across different indications for arthroplasty. The satisfaction rate was 90.9% after ATSA and 90.8% after RTSA. Furthermore, 10.2% of ATSA patients and 9.9% of RTSA patients experienced a surgical complication, whereas 2.3% of ATSA and 2.2% of RTSA patients underwent a revision. Secondary rotator cuff tear was the most common complication after ATSA, occurring in 3.7% of patients, but only 1.1% of patients required revision surgery. Both ATSA and RTSA implant survivorship was reported to range from 93.1% to 98.9% at 5- and 8-year follow-up, respectively. Patient mortality was estimated to be 19.3% with a mean time to death of 6.1 years.

Conclusions

Elderly patients with primary osteoarthritis and an intact rotator cuff can have predictable pain relief, restoration of functional range of motion, and significant improvement in PROs after ATSA with low complication rates. Secondary rotator cuff failure and revision arthroplasty occur infrequently at early to mid-term follow-up. Although elderly patients who underwent ATSA generally had better functional outcomes compared to those who underwent RTSA for differing indications, patient satisfaction after both procedures were similar.

Medium-term results of stemless, short, and conventional stem humeral components in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty: a New Zealand Joint Registry study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to compare the medium-term results for anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty by humeral component stem length. We hypothesize that the newer stemless implants may have comparable results to short-stem and conventional stemmed implants.

METHODS

The 12 most used anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty implants on the New Zealand Joint Registry were included in the study. Implants were categorized by stem length-conventional, short, and stemless. The primary outcome was revision up to 7 years postsurgery. Secondary outcomes included revision cause, implant survival, and early functional outcomes as evaluated by the Oxford Shoulder Score. Analysis was stratified by age and surgeon volume to control for potential confounding.

RESULTS

A total of 3952 patients (conventional, 3114; short, 360; stemless, 478) were included in the study. No significant difference in revision rate per 100 component-years was found between stemless, short-stem, and conventional stemmed implants (revision rate per 100 component-years: conventional, 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89-1.14]; short, 0.54 [95% CI 0.25-1.03]; stemless, 0.99 [95% CI 0.51-1.74]). This finding was irrespective of patient age or surgeon volume. There were no cases of humeral loosening up to 7 years' follow-up and no cases of intraoperative humeral fracture in the stemless group. Functional outcomes at 6 months postsurgery suggested better outcomes in the stemless group compared with the conventional stem group (mean Oxford Shoulder Score: conventional, 39.4; stemless, 40.7; P value = .023).

CONCLUSION

The medium-term survival of stemless implants for anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty appears comparable to short-stem and conventional stemmed implants. Further follow-up is required to understand the long-term survivorship and functional outcomes between these groups.