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Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for the Treatment of Three- and Four-Part Fractures of the Proximal Humerus in the Elderly

·The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume·2007·528 citations·Shoulder & Elbow
DOI·PubMed
SummaryAbstract on PubMed →

Prospective review of 43 elderly patients (mean age 78) treated with a Delta reverse shoulder prosthesis for displaced three- and four-part proximal humerus fractures. It asks whether the reverse design can deliver useful function in a population where tuberosity healing after hemiarthroplasty is unreliable.

Study Snapshot

Design
Prospective cohort
Setting: Single university hospital, France
Funding: None
Objective
Whether reverse shoulder arthroplasty provides satisfactory function for complex proximal humerus fractures in elderly patients
Outcome(s)
Constant score and shoulder range of motion at follow-up
Subjects
43 patients (41 reviewed), mean age 78
  • Delta reverse shoulder prosthesis
Inclusion
  • Over 65 years old
  • Displaced 3- or 4-part proximal humerus fracture
  • Treated within 15 days of injury
Exclusion
  • Active infection
  • Axillary nerve palsy or deficient deltoid
  • Bone tumour
Follow-up
Mean 22 months (6 to 58)
Statistics
Kruskal-Wallis testSpearman correlation

Key Findings

  • Mean active anterior elevation reached 97° (35° to 160°) and external rotation in abduction 30°, with a mean Constant score of 44 and modified Constant of 66%. Function was satisfactory for a fracture population with a mean age of 78.
  • Tuberosities displaced in 19 of 36 fixed shoulders (53%), giving nonunion in 38.8% and malunion in 13.8%. Despite this high failure rate, mobility stayed acceptable.
  • Clinical results were not influenced by tuberosity healing or surgical approach. This is the core lesson: the reverse geometry uncouples function from tuberosity union, unlike hemiarthroplasty.
  • In patients over 75, anterior elevation averaged 94° versus 55° reported for hemiarthroplasty in the same age group. The reverse design better preserves elevation in the oldest, most cuff-deficient patients.
  • Scapular notching occurred in 25% (only 1 Sirveaux grade 3) and showed no correlation with glenoid inclination (r = 0.23, p = 0.20). Notching appeared within the first year and did not progress after two years.
  • Heterotopic ossification was seen in 90% of shoulders but had limited effect on function. There was no component loosening at mean 22-month follow-up.
  • Complications included 5 neurological events (mostly resolved), 3 reflex sympathetic dystrophy, 1 acromial fracture, and 1 anterior dislocation. No infections occurred.
Board PearlReverse arthroplasty for elderly proximal humerus fractures works even when tuberosities fail to heal because the medialised centre of rotation drives deltoid-powered elevation.

Clinical Relevance

The clinical decision rule: in an elderly patient with a displaced three- or four-part proximal humerus fracture and a poor-quality or cuff-deficient shoulder, reverse arthroplasty delivers deltoid-powered elevation that does not depend on tuberosity healing.

That matters because tuberosity malposition is the main reason hemiarthroplasty fails. Here, 53% of tuberosities displaced yet function held up, which is the whole biomechanical argument for the reverse design in this setting.

Expect trade-offs. External rotation stays weak when the greater tuberosity fails, and scapular notching (25%) and heterotopic ossification (90%) are common though usually low-consequence in low-demand patients. Read this as early evidence, not a mandate. The authors explicitly refuse to call it routine at 22-month follow-up, and glenoid loosening risk over time remains the unanswered question.

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|

Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for the Treatment of Three- and Four-Part Fractures of the Proximal Humerus in the Elderly

·The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume·2007·528 citations·Shoulder & Elbow
DOI·PubMed
SummaryAbstract on PubMed →

Prospective review of 43 elderly patients (mean age 78) treated with a Delta reverse shoulder prosthesis for displaced three- and four-part proximal humerus fractures. It asks whether the reverse design can deliver useful function in a population where tuberosity healing after hemiarthroplasty is unreliable.

Study Snapshot

Design
Prospective cohort
Setting: Single university hospital, France
Funding: None
Objective
Whether reverse shoulder arthroplasty provides satisfactory function for complex proximal humerus fractures in elderly patients
Outcome(s)
Constant score and shoulder range of motion at follow-up
Subjects
43 patients (41 reviewed), mean age 78
  • Delta reverse shoulder prosthesis
Inclusion
  • Over 65 years old
  • Displaced 3- or 4-part proximal humerus fracture
  • Treated within 15 days of injury
Exclusion
  • Active infection
  • Axillary nerve palsy or deficient deltoid
  • Bone tumour
Follow-up
Mean 22 months (6 to 58)
Statistics
Kruskal-Wallis testSpearman correlation

Key Findings

  • Mean active anterior elevation reached 97° (35° to 160°) and external rotation in abduction 30°, with a mean Constant score of 44 and modified Constant of 66%. Function was satisfactory for a fracture population with a mean age of 78.
  • Tuberosities displaced in 19 of 36 fixed shoulders (53%), giving nonunion in 38.8% and malunion in 13.8%. Despite this high failure rate, mobility stayed acceptable.
  • Clinical results were not influenced by tuberosity healing or surgical approach. This is the core lesson: the reverse geometry uncouples function from tuberosity union, unlike hemiarthroplasty.
  • In patients over 75, anterior elevation averaged 94° versus 55° reported for hemiarthroplasty in the same age group. The reverse design better preserves elevation in the oldest, most cuff-deficient patients.
  • Scapular notching occurred in 25% (only 1 Sirveaux grade 3) and showed no correlation with glenoid inclination (r = 0.23, p = 0.20). Notching appeared within the first year and did not progress after two years.
  • Heterotopic ossification was seen in 90% of shoulders but had limited effect on function. There was no component loosening at mean 22-month follow-up.
  • Complications included 5 neurological events (mostly resolved), 3 reflex sympathetic dystrophy, 1 acromial fracture, and 1 anterior dislocation. No infections occurred.
Board PearlReverse arthroplasty for elderly proximal humerus fractures works even when tuberosities fail to heal because the medialised centre of rotation drives deltoid-powered elevation.

Clinical Relevance

The clinical decision rule: in an elderly patient with a displaced three- or four-part proximal humerus fracture and a poor-quality or cuff-deficient shoulder, reverse arthroplasty delivers deltoid-powered elevation that does not depend on tuberosity healing.

That matters because tuberosity malposition is the main reason hemiarthroplasty fails. Here, 53% of tuberosities displaced yet function held up, which is the whole biomechanical argument for the reverse design in this setting.

Expect trade-offs. External rotation stays weak when the greater tuberosity fails, and scapular notching (25%) and heterotopic ossification (90%) are common though usually low-consequence in low-demand patients. Read this as early evidence, not a mandate. The authors explicitly refuse to call it routine at 22-month follow-up, and glenoid loosening risk over time remains the unanswered question.

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