This is a Level IV case series of 29 young, active patients (30 shoulders) with end-stage glenohumeral OA who underwent the comprehensive arthroscopic management (CAM) procedure instead of arthroplasty. It asks whether a comprehensive joint-preserving arthroscopy can relieve pain, restore motion, and delay shoulder replacement. All patients were arthroplasty candidates who wanted to avoid or delay a prosthesis.
When a young, active patient with end-stage glenohumeral OA wants to delay a shoulder replacement, the CAM procedure offers a joint-preserving option that reduced pain and improved function with 85% survivorship at 2 years.
The single most useful takeaway is patient selection: measure the smallest glenohumeral joint space on the AP radiograph. Under 2.0 mm means a 7.8-fold higher failure risk, and those patients may be better served by primary arthroplasty.
The procedure's logic is that advanced OA has many pain generators, so it addresses cartilage, capsule, the goat's beard osteophyte, the axillary nerve, and the biceps together rather than a single target. Remember the limits: this is a Level IV case series of 30 shoulders with no control group and only short-term follow-up. It establishes feasibility, not superiority over arthroplasty.
This is a Level IV case series of 29 young, active patients (30 shoulders) with end-stage glenohumeral OA who underwent the comprehensive arthroscopic management (CAM) procedure instead of arthroplasty. It asks whether a comprehensive joint-preserving arthroscopy can relieve pain, restore motion, and delay shoulder replacement. All patients were arthroplasty candidates who wanted to avoid or delay a prosthesis.
When a young, active patient with end-stage glenohumeral OA wants to delay a shoulder replacement, the CAM procedure offers a joint-preserving option that reduced pain and improved function with 85% survivorship at 2 years.
The single most useful takeaway is patient selection: measure the smallest glenohumeral joint space on the AP radiograph. Under 2.0 mm means a 7.8-fold higher failure risk, and those patients may be better served by primary arthroplasty.
The procedure's logic is that advanced OA has many pain generators, so it addresses cartilage, capsule, the goat's beard osteophyte, the axillary nerve, and the biceps together rather than a single target. Remember the limits: this is a Level IV case series of 30 shoulders with no control group and only short-term follow-up. It establishes feasibility, not superiority over arthroplasty.