This 2009 JAAOS narrative review by Gerber, Pennington, and Nyffeler synthesizes the biomechanical rationale, surgical technique, indications, outcomes, and complications of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA), drawing primarily on the 527-patient French multicenter experience to establish performance benchmarks for this then-emerging procedure.
When evaluating a patient for RTSA, age matters: with radiographic deterioration starting at 5–6 years and clinical decline by 8 years, this procedure should be reserved for patients over 70 with pseudoparalysis and irreparable cuff tear — and every patient deserves counseling that revision surgery carries roughly double the complication rate of the index procedure.
This 2009 JAAOS narrative review by Gerber, Pennington, and Nyffeler synthesizes the biomechanical rationale, surgical technique, indications, outcomes, and complications of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA), drawing primarily on the 527-patient French multicenter experience to establish performance benchmarks for this then-emerging procedure.
When evaluating a patient for RTSA, age matters: with radiographic deterioration starting at 5–6 years and clinical decline by 8 years, this procedure should be reserved for patients over 70 with pseudoparalysis and irreparable cuff tear — and every patient deserves counseling that revision surgery carries roughly double the complication rate of the index procedure.