Jean-François Gonzalez

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty after failed rotator cuff surgery

BACKGROUND The purpose is to report the results of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) after previous failed rotator cuff surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective multicenter study of 42 RSA in 40 patients (mean age, 71 years) with a mean follow-up of 50 months. Thirty shoulders presented with a pseudoparalytic shoulder and 12 with a painful shoulder with maintained active anterior elevation (AAE >or= 90 degrees). RESULTS Five complications (12%) occurred and 2 patients (5%) underwent re-operation. In pseudoparalytic shoulders, AAE increased from 56 degrees to 123 degrees and 7% were disappointed or dissatisfied. In painful shoulders, AAE decreased from 146 degrees to 122 degrees and 27% were disappointed or dissatisfied. DISCUSSION RSA can improve function in patients with cuff deficient shoulders after failure of previous cuff surgery. However, results are inferior to primary RSA. RSA when the patient maintains greater than 90 degrees of preoperative AAE risks loss of AAE and lower patient satisfaction.

A guided surgical approach and novel fixation method for arthroscopic Latarjet.

BACKGROUND Most of the complications of the Latarjet procedure are related to the bone block positioning and use of screws. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if an arthroscopic Latarjet guiding system improves accuracy of bone block positioning and if suture button fixation could be an alternative to screw fixation in allowing bone block healing and avoiding complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-six patients (mean age, 27 years) underwent an arthroscopic Latarjet procedure with a guided surgical approach and suture button fixation. Bone graft union and positioning accuracy were assessed by postoperative computed tomography imaging. Clinical examinations were performed at each visit. RESULTS At a mean of 14 months (range, 6-24 months) postoperatively, 75 of 76 patients had a stable shoulder. No neurologic complications were observed; no patients have required further surgery. The coracoid graft was positioned strictly tangential to the glenoid surface in 96% of the cases and below the equator in 93%. The coracoid graft healed in 69 patients (91%). CONCLUSIONS A guided surgical approach optimizes graft positioning accuracy. Suture button fixation can be an alternative to screw fixation, obtaining an excellent rate of bone union. Neurologic and hardware complications, classically reported with screw fixation, have not been observed with this guided technique and novel fixation method.

Combined All-arthroscopic Hill-Sachs Remplissage, Latarjet, and Bankart Repair in Patients With Bipolar Glenohumeral Bone Loss

Patients presenting with recurrent shoulder instability and bipolar glenohumeral bone loss are at risk of failed standard soft-tissue repair techniques. Even isolated bony-stabilization procedures such as the Latarjet or remplissage technique may not provide sufficient stability in the face of combined bone loss. We use a combined all-arthroscopic remplissage, Latarjet, and Bankart repair for patients with significant combined glenohumeral bone loss and/or in the revision setting. This allows reconstruction of both the Hill-Sachs and glenoid bone defects and repair of the capsulolabral complex in a minimally invasive manner. Furthermore, the use of cortical-button fixation of the coracoid bone graft may reduce the risk of hardware-related complications while still achieving excellent bone union.

Arthroscopic Revision of Failed Open Anterior Stabilization of the Shoulder (SS-06)

The purpose of this study is to report the results of arthroscopic Bankart repair following failed open treatment of anterior instability. We performed a retrospective review of twenty-two patients with recurrent anterior shoulder instability (i.e. subluxations or dislocations, with or without pain) after open surgical stabilization. There were seventeen men and five women with an average age of thirty-one years (range, 15–65). The most recent interventions consisted of sixteen osseous transfers (twelve Latarjet and four Eden-Hybinette), three open Bankart repairs and three capsular shifts. The causes of failure were additional trauma in twelve patients and complications related to the bone-block in thirteen (poor position, fracture, pseudarthrosis or lysis). All patients were noted to have distension of the anterior-inferior capsular structures. Labral re-attachment and capsulo-ligamentous re-tensioning with suture anchors was performed in all cases with an additional rotator interval closure in four patients and an inferior capsular plication in twelve patients; the bone block screws were removed in eight patients. At an average follow-up of forty-three months (range, twenty-four to seventy-two months), nineteen patients were evaluated by two independent observers. One patient had recurrent subluxation, and two patients had persistent apprehension. Anterior elevation was unchanged, and loss of external rotation (RE1) was 6°. Nine patients returned to sport at the same level; all patients returned to their previous occupations, including the six cases of work-related injury. Eighty-nine percent were satisfied or very satisfied; the subjective shoulder value (SSV) was 83% ± 23%; the Walch-Duplay, Rowe and UCLA scores were 85 ± 21, 81 ± 23 and 30 ± 7 points respectively. The number of previous interventions did not influence the results. Eight patients (42%) were still painful (six with light pain and two with moderate pain). Arthroscopic revision of open anterior shoulder stabilization gives satisfactory results. The shoulders are both stable and functional. While the stability obtained with this approach is encouraging, our enthusiasm is tempered by some cases of persistent pain.