Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow最新文献

Rotator cuff disease is a common cause of shoulder pain for which partial-thickness rotator cuff tears occupy a significant proportion. Such tears are often difficult to diagnose and manage in the general clinic setting. A review of the available literature from well-known databases was performed in this study to provide a concise overview of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears to aid physicians in their understanding and management.

While shoulder hemiarthroplasty is still used to treat young patients with shoulder pathology, the use of this procedure has substantially declined in recent years due to its significant complication profile. Glenoid wear with arthrosis is one of the major postoperative complications following shoulder hemiarthroplasty, and efforts to prevent this complication led many scientists to explore alternative weight-bearing surfaces on arthroplasty implants to decrease joint wear and improve patient outcomes. Pyrolytic carbon, or pyrocarbon, is a material that has better biocompatibility, survivorship, strength, and wear resistance compared to the materials used in traditional shoulder hemiarthroplasty. Pyrocarbon implants have been used in orthopedics for over 50 years; recently, their utility in shoulder hemiarthroplasty has garnered much interest. The purpose behind the use of pyrocarbon in shoulder hemiarthroplasty is to decrease the risk of progressive glenoid wear, especially in young active patients in whom joint preservation is important. Promising survivorship and outcomes have been demonstrated by recent studies, including limited glenoid wear following pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasty. Nevertheless, these clinical studies have been limited to relatively small case series with limited long-term follow-up. Accordingly, additional research and comparative studies need to be conducted in order to properly assess the therapeutic efficacy and value of pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasty.

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is widely popular among shoulder surgeons and patients, and its prevalence has increased dramatically in recent years. With this increased use, the indicated pathologies associated with RTSA are more likely to be encountered, and challenging patient presentations are more likely to be seen. One prominent challenging presentation is RTSA patients with severe glenoid bone loss. Several techniques with varying degrees of invasiveness, including excessive reaming, alternate centerline, bone grafting, and patient-specific implants (PSIs), have been developed to treat patients with this presentation. PSI treatment uses a three-dimensional reconstruction of a computed tomography scan to design a prosthetic implant or component customized to the patient's glenoid morphology, allowing compensation for any significant bone loss. The novelty of this technology implies a paucity of available literature, and although many studies show that PSIs have good potential for solving challenging shoulder problems, some studies have reported questionable and equivocal outcomes. Additional research is needed to explore the indications, outcomes, techniques, and cost-efficiency of this technology to help establish its role in current treatment guidelines and strategies.

Background: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with a locking plate is a popular surgical treatment for proximal humeral fractures (PHF). This study aimed to assess the occurrence of complications in elderly patients with PHF treated surgically using ORIF with a locking plate and to investigate the potential differences between patients treated by shoulder surgeons and non-shoulder surgeons.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using a single-center database to identify patients aged ≥70 years who underwent ORIF for PHF between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2021. Data on the Neer classification, follow-up, occurrence of avascular necrosis of the humeral head, implant failure, and revision surgery were also collected. Statistical analyses were performed to calculate the overall frequency of complications according to the Neer classification.

Results: The rates of implant failure, avascular osteonecrosis, and revision surgery were 15.7%, 4.8%, and 15.7%, respectively. Complications were more common in patients with Neer three- and four-part fractures. Although the difference between surgeries performed by shoulder surgeons and non-shoulder surgeons did not reach statistical significance, the rate of complications and the need for revision surgery were nearly two-fold higher in the latter group.

Conclusions: PHF are highly prevalent in the elderly population. However, the ORIF surgical approach, as demonstrated in this study, is associated with a considerable rate of complications. Surgeries performed by non-shoulder surgeons had a higher rate of complications and a more frequent need for revision surgery. Future studies comparing surgical treatments and their respective complication rates are crucial to determine the optimal therapeutic options. Level of evidence: III.

Background: Restoration of external (ER) and internal rotation (IR) after Grammont-style reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is often unreliable. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the influence of RSA medio-lateral offset and subscapularis repair on axial rotation after RSA.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies evaluating axial rotation (ER, IR, or both) after RSA with a defined implant design. Medio-lateral implant classification was adopted from Werthel et al. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model.

Results: Thirty-two studies reporting 2,233 RSAs were included (mean patient age, 72.5 years; follow-up, 43 months; 64% female). The subscapularis was repaired in 91% (n=2,032) of shoulders and did not differ based on global implant lateralization (91% for both, P=0.602). On meta-analysis, globally lateralized implants achieved greater postoperative ER (40° [36°-44°] vs. 27° [22°-32°], P<0.001) and postoperative improvement in ER (20° [15°-26°] vs. 10° [5°-15°], P<0.001). Lateralized implants with subscapularis repair or medialized implants without subscapularis repair had significantly greater postoperative ER and postoperative improvement in ER compared to globally medialized implants with subscapularis repair (P<0.001 for both). Mean postoperative IR was reported in 56% (n=18) of studies and achieved the minimum necessary IR in 51% of lateralized (n=325, 5 cohorts) versus 36% (n=177, 5 cohorts) of medialized implants.

Conclusions: Lateralized RSA produces superior axial rotation compared to medialized RSA. Lateralized RSA with subscapularis repair and medialized RSA without subscapularis repair provide greater axial rotation compared to medialized RSA with subscapularis repair. Level of evidence: 2A.

Background: The Discovery Elbow System (DES) utilizes a polyethylene bearing within the ulnar component. An exchange bearing requires preoperative freezing and implantation within 2 minutes of freezer removal to allow insertion. We report our outcomes and experience using this technique.

Methods: This was an analysis of a two-surgeon consecutive series of DES bearing exchange. Inclusion criteria included patients in which exchange was attempted with a minimum 1-year follow-up. Clinical and radiographic review was performed 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 years postoperative. Outcome measures included range of movement, Oxford Elbow Score (OES), Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), complications and requirement for revision surgery.

Results: Eleven DESs in 10 patients were included. Indications were bearing wear encountered during humeral component revision (n=5); bearing failure (n=4); and infection treated with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR; n=2). Bearing exchange was conducted on the first attempt in 10 cases. One case required a second attempt. One patient developed infection postoperatively managed with two-stage revision. Mean follow-up of the bearing exchange DES was 3 years. No further surgery was required, with no infection recurrence in DAIR cases. Mean elbow flexion-extension and pronosupination arcs were 107° (±22°) and 140° (±26°). Mean OES was 36/48 (±12) and MEPS was 83/100 (±19).

Conclusions: Our results support the use of DES bearing exchange in cases of bearing wear with well-fixed stems or acute infection. This series provides surgeons managing DES arthroplasty with management principles, successful and reproducible surgical techniques and expected clinical outcomes in performing DES polyethylene bearing exchange. Level of evidence: IV.

Background: Rotator cuff tears are often associated with synovitis, but the ability of noninvasive ultrasonography to predict the severity of synovitis remains unclear. We investigated whether ultrasound parameters, namely peak systolic velocity in the anterior humeral circumflex artery and Doppler activity in the glenohumeral joint and subacromial space, reflect synovitis severity.

Methods: A total of 54 patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were selected. Doppler ultrasound was used to measure peak systolic velocity in the anterior humeral circumflex artery and Doppler activity in the glenohumeral joint and subacromial space, and these values were compared with the intraoperative synovitis score in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: Univariate analyses revealed that tear size, peak systolic velocity in the anterior humeral circumflex artery, and Doppler activity in the glenohumeral joint were associated with synovitis in the glenohumeral joint (P=0.02, P<0.001, P=0.02, respectively). In the subacromial space, tear size, peak systolic velocity in the anterior humeral circumflex artery, and Doppler activity in the subacromial space were associated with synovitis severity (P=0.02, P<0.001, P=0.02, respectively). Multivariate analyses indicated that tear size and peak systolic velocity in the anterior humeral circumflex artery were independently associated with synovitis scores in both the glenohumeral joint and the subacromial space (all P<0.05).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that tear size and peak systolic velocity in the anterior humeral circumflex artery, which can both be measured noninvasively, are useful indicators of synovitis severity. Level of evidence: IV.

Cubital tunnel syndrome refers to compression neuropathy caused by pressure on the ulnar nerve pathway around the elbow. A 63-year-old male patient visited the clinic complaining of decreased sensation and weakness in his left ring finger and little finger, stating that the symptoms first began 6 months prior. He had undergone surgery to remove a ganglion cyst from his left elbow joint about 5 years prior in Mongolia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic mass located at the previous surgical site, which was compressing the ulnar nerve within the cubital tunnel. Ulnar nerve decompression and anterior transposition were performed, and the cystic mass was excised. Upon pathological examination, the mass was diagnosed as a ganglion cyst. The patient's symptoms including sensory dysfunction and weakness improved over the 1-year follow-up period. This report describes a rare case of ganglion cyst recurrence compressing the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel after previous ganglion cyst excision.