Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Sep 2011
Can reverse shoulder arthroplasty be used with few complications in rheumatoid arthritis?
Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis develop superior migration of the humeral head because of massive cuff tears, causing loss of active motion. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty could potentially restore biomechanical balance but a high incidence of glenoid failure has been reported. These studies do not, however, typically include many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and it is unclear whether the failure rates are similar. ⋯ Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.