ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the functional results from reverse arthroplasty and its complications and relationships with types of injury.
METHODS:
Twenty-seven shoulders (26 women and one man) were treated. The patients were assessed using the UCLA functional scale. The implant used was the Delta Xtend Depuy(r) model. The injuries were classified using the Seebauer method for the degree of arthroplasty and the Nerot method for notching.
RESULT:
The mean age was 77.4 years (range: 67-89) and the follow-up was 25.8 months (range: 6-51). The preoperative UCLA score was 10.1 (range: 6-15) and the postoperative UCLA score was 29.8 (range: 22-35), which was a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.001). According to the Seebauer classification, five patients were 1B, 19 were 2A and three were 2B. Fifteen cases presented complications (55.5%) and notching was the commonest of these, occurring in 14 patients (nine with grade 1 and five with grade 2), but this did not cause instability in any of them. Only one patient (3.7%) had a major complication, consisting of dislocation in the immediate postoperative period. Two patients (7.4%) said that they would undergo the procedure again. One patient (3.7%) underwent a revision procedure.
CONCLUSION:
Reverse arthroplasty was shown to be an excellent option for treating patients with rotator cuff arthropathy, with a low rate of major complications. Notching was a frequent complication, but in the majority of the cases, it did not present clinical repercussions.
Keywords:
Rotator cuff; Arthroplasty; Shoulder; Evaluation of results
