This multicenter French study followed 80 Grammont reverse total shoulder arthroplasties for a minimum of five years. It asked how durable the implant is at medium-term follow-up and whether the underlying etiology changes survival. Survivorship was analyzed by revision, glenoid loosening, and functional Constant score.
When you see glenohumeral arthropathy with a massive irreparable cuff tear in an elderly, low-demand patient, the reverse prosthesis is the operation. It works by medializing the center of rotation and lengthening the deltoid lever arm so the deltoid replaces the absent cuff.
This paper is the medium-term durability evidence: roughly 91% implant survival at ten years, and clearly better results in cuff tear arthropathy than in rheumatoid or post-traumatic cases.
The teaching point that changes practice is the six-year functional cliff. Mechanical survival stays high, but pain and function deteriorate, so counsel patients this is not a lifetime durable functional result.
As a Level IV retrospective series with only 14 non-cuff-tear shoulders, the etiology comparison is underpowered, but the direction is consistent. Treat RA as a contraindication and reserve the implant for patients over 70.
This multicenter French study followed 80 Grammont reverse total shoulder arthroplasties for a minimum of five years. It asked how durable the implant is at medium-term follow-up and whether the underlying etiology changes survival. Survivorship was analyzed by revision, glenoid loosening, and functional Constant score.
When you see glenohumeral arthropathy with a massive irreparable cuff tear in an elderly, low-demand patient, the reverse prosthesis is the operation. It works by medializing the center of rotation and lengthening the deltoid lever arm so the deltoid replaces the absent cuff.
This paper is the medium-term durability evidence: roughly 91% implant survival at ten years, and clearly better results in cuff tear arthropathy than in rheumatoid or post-traumatic cases.
The teaching point that changes practice is the six-year functional cliff. Mechanical survival stays high, but pain and function deteriorate, so counsel patients this is not a lifetime durable functional result.
As a Level IV retrospective series with only 14 non-cuff-tear shoulders, the etiology comparison is underpowered, but the direction is consistent. Treat RA as a contraindication and reserve the implant for patients over 70.