Structural bone grafting with reverse shoulder arthroplasty for osteoarthritis with severe glenoid bone loss: outcomes using a long post

Background: Severe posterior glenoid bone loss with glenohumeral osteoarthritis with an intact rotator cuff can be managed with reverse shoulder arthroplasty but requires lateralization and version correction to avoid potential complications, such as instability, notching and implant failure. Angled bone grafting with humeral head autograft can provide durable glenoid bone stock, but results have been mixed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient-reported and objective outcomes as well as complication and failure rates for patients who underwent angled humeral head autografting for severe retroversion.

Methods: All patients who underwent a primary reverse shoulder arthroplasty with angled humeral head autograft and Stryker Tornier long central postbaseplate for severe glenoid bone loss in the setting of glenohumeral osteoarthritis with an intact rotator cuff at our institution between November 2018 and February of 2022 were identified. Individuals with a primary diagnosis of osteoarthritis and preoperative glenoid retroversion of ≥30° were included. Patients undergoing revision procedures, planned 2-stage arthroplasty were excluded. Differences in pre- and postoperative range of motion, as well as patient-reported outcomes were assessed. Intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, and re-operation rates were analyzed.

Results: A total of 24 shoulders in 23 patients (61% male), with a mean age of 65.6 years were included. Average preoperative retroversion was 37.4° (range: 30°-51°). Mean follow-up was 2.9 years (range: 2-4.3 years). Significant improvements were found in flexion, abduction, and external rotation. Patient-reported subjective outcomes were excellent, with average American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score of 93.6 and average Subjective Shoulder Value score of 93.8%. Sixteen (67%) shoulders received postoperative computed tomography scans and all were found to have incorporated. Complications included one shoulder hematoma requiring incision and drainage without revision, and a post-traumatic fracture of the inferior glenoid screw at 11 months, requiring revision reverse shoulder arthroplasty with bone grafting. No atraumatic catastrophic failures occurred due to component loosening.

Conclusion: This study suggests that using angled humeral head bone grafting is a good solution for version correction in extreme posterior glenoid bone loss. Significant improvements are reported in range of motion, pain, and subjective functional scores, with excellent graft incorporation rates and a low complication profile at early follow-up. Further work should focus on gathering higher levels of evidence, detailed radiographic analyses, and exploring humeral head bone grafting for other indications.