Retrospective review of 21 shoulders (20 patients) undergoing Neer humeral hemiarthroplasty for combined glenohumeral arthritis and irreparable degenerative rotator cuff tears. Asks whether meaningful pain relief and function are achievable when the cuff cannot be reconstructed, and describes key technical adaptations to the standard arthroplasty technique.
When you encounter an elderly patient with glenohumeral arthritis and an irreparable rotator cuff tear, hemiarthroplasty with coracoacromial ligament preservation is a viable option — frame goals around pain relief and basic function, not restoration of strength or full motion.
Technically: preserve the CA ligament as your superior stabilizer, reduce humeral retroversion if posterior glenoid erosion is present, and commit to aggressive anterior deltoid rehab postoperatively.
Retrospective review of 21 shoulders (20 patients) undergoing Neer humeral hemiarthroplasty for combined glenohumeral arthritis and irreparable degenerative rotator cuff tears. Asks whether meaningful pain relief and function are achievable when the cuff cannot be reconstructed, and describes key technical adaptations to the standard arthroplasty technique.
When you encounter an elderly patient with glenohumeral arthritis and an irreparable rotator cuff tear, hemiarthroplasty with coracoacromial ligament preservation is a viable option — frame goals around pain relief and basic function, not restoration of strength or full motion.
Technically: preserve the CA ligament as your superior stabilizer, reduce humeral retroversion if posterior glenoid erosion is present, and commit to aggressive anterior deltoid rehab postoperatively.