Evaluation of Implant Fixation in Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Evaluation of Implant Fixation in Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Reverse total shoulder replacement surgery (RTSA) is performed for individuals with advanced arthritis of the shoulder who also have tears in their rotator cuff muscles. A metal hemisphere is placed in the shoulder blade, and a plastic cup on a stem is placed in the upper arm. This orientation is opposite to the normal anatomy, giving rise to the term "reverse" shoulder replacement. While RTSA has a good clinical track record, no studies have examined how well fixed the implanted components are within patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• will be any patient with cuff tear arthropathy requiring reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Exclusion Criteria:

• will be any patient with a previous RTSA or TSA (i.e. no revision surgery) or anyone unable to return for RSA imaging (e.g. living >100 km outside of London).