Expanding roles for reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Since its introduction in the USA in 2003, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has been used with increasingly frequency as surgeons have observed the remarkable improvement in pain, range of motion, and function associated with this implant. RTSA was initially used exclusively for elderly, low demand individuals with end-stage rotator cuff tear arthropathy. However, RTSA is now being increasingly successfully employed for the management of irreparable rotator cuff tears, glenohumeral osteoarthritis with an intact rotator cuff, acute proximal humerus fractures, the sequelae of proximal humerus fractures, neoplasms of the proximal humerus, inflammatory arthropathy, young patients and failed anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty. While long-term outcomes are pending, short- and mid-term follow-up results suggest that in experienced hands, RTSA may be a reasonable treatment for many previously difficult to treat pathologies within the shoulder.