Impact of screw length and screw quantity on reverse total shoulder arthroplasty glenoid fixation for 2 different sizes of glenoid baseplates.

BACKGROUND: Little guidance exists regarding the minimum screw length and screw quantity necessary to achieve fixation in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA); to that end, this study quantified the displacement of 2 different sizes of glenoid baseplates using multiple different screw lengths and quantities of screws in a low-density polyurethane bone-substitute model. METHODS: Testing of rTSA glenoid loosening was conducted according to ASTM F 2028-17. To independently evaluate the impact of screw quantity and screw length on rTSA glenoid fixation for 2 different sizes of glenoid baseplates, baseplates were constructed using 2 screws, 4 screws, or 6 screws (with the latter being used for the larger baseplate only) with 3 different poly-axial locking compression screw lengths. RESULTS: Both sizes of glenoid baseplates remained well fixed after cyclic loading regardless of screw length or screw quantity. Baseplates with 2 screws had significantly greater displacement than baseplates with 4 or 6 screws. No differences were observed between baseplates with 4 screws and those with 6 screws (used for the larger baseplate). Both sizes of baseplates with 18-mm screws had significantly greater displacement than baseplates with 30- or 46-mm screws. For larger baseplates, those with 30-mm screws had significantly greater displacement than those with 46-mm screws in the superior-inferior direction. DISCUSSION: For the 2 different sizes of baseplates tested in this study, rTSA glenoid fixation was impacted by both screw quantity and screw length. Irrespective of screw quantity, longer screws showed significantly better fixation. Irrespective of screw length, the use of more screws showed significantly better fixation, up to a point, as the use of more than 4 screws showed no incremental benefit. Finally, longer screws can be used as a substitute for additional fixation if it is not feasible to use more screws.

Improving Distal Fixation with Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Cases of Severe Humeral Bone Loss.

The usage of and indications for total shoulder arthroplasty have grown in recent years. Certain aspects of these arthroplasty procedures can be very complex, especially in revision and fracture cases, often leading to proximal humerus bone loss. For cases with significant bone loss, there is a need for improved devices with additional options to treat a wider range of deformities while also mitigating existing complications and rates, such as poor distal fixation, inadequate soft tissue reattachment options, and joint instability. To that end, a fatigue and torsional test was conducted on two different devices to assess the ability of each to survive an extreme fatigue and torsional load when assembled in worst-case configurations. Evaluation of the Equinoxe® humeral reconstruction prosthesis demonstrated superior fixation in both the fatigue loading scenario and also the torsional loading scenario as compared to the 8 mm x 215 mm cemented humeral long stem, where each had only 80 mm of cemented fixation. The results of the fatigue test demonstrated that despite the humeral reconstruction prosthesis being subjected to a 960 N force and 45 Nm bending moment (which was significantly more challenging than the 576 N force and 24.2 Nm bending moment subjected to the cemented humeral long stem), the humeral reconstruction prosthesis completed 1 M cycles without fracture or failure. Additionally, the Equinoxe® humeral reconstruction prosthesis was associated with a significantly greater torsional resistance in both the torque to initial slip (29.4 Nm versus 8.2 Nm; p = 0.0002) and also the maximum torque to failure (44.3 Nm versus 12.1 Nm; p < 0.0001). These significant improvements in fixation are at least partially attributed to the application of a novel distal fixation ring, which is press fit around the diaphysis of the humerus to supplement the cemented fixation of the distal stem. These fatigue and torsional test results paired with several novel features of fer the potential for the Equinoxe® humeral reconstruction prosthesis to be an improved treatment option for patients with proximal humeral bone loss, though clinical follow-up is necessary to confirm these positive biomechanical results.

Reverse shoulder glenoid loosening: an evaluation of the initial fixation associated with six different reverse shoulder designs.

INTRODUCTION: This study quantified glenoid fixation before and after cyclic loading of six reverse shoulder prosthesis designs when secured to low and high density bone substitute blocks. METHODS: A displacement test quantified fixation of six reverse shoulder designs: 38 mm Equinoxe standard offset (EQ), 38 mm Equinoxe lateral offset (EQL), 36 mm Depuy Delta III (DRS), 36 mm Zimmer (ZRS), 32 mm DJO RSP (DJO), and a 36 mm Tornier BIO-RSA (BIO), secured to 0.24 and 0.48 g/cm 3 polyurethane blocks as a shear (357 N) and compressive (50 N) load were applied before and after cyclic loading. Displacement was measured with a dial indicator in the directions of the applied loads along the superior/inferior axis. A cyclic test rotated each glenosphere (N= 7) at 0.5 Hz for 10 k cycles as 750 N was constantly applied. A two-tailed Student's unpaired t-test compared mean displacements. RESULTS: The average displacement of the EQ, EQL, ZRS, DJO, DRS, and BIO-RSA devices in the low density substrate was 182, 137, 431, 321, 190, and 256 microns, respectively. The average displacement of the EQ, EQL, ZRS, DRS, and BIO-RSA devices in the high density substrate was 102, 95, 244, 138, and 173 microns, respectively. Pre- and post-cyclic displacement was significantly less in the high density bone substitutes than in the low density bone substitutes for the majority of implant comparisons. During the cyclic test, six of seven ZRS devices failed at an average of 2,603 cycles, one of seven 32 mm DJO failed at 7,342 cycles, and four of seven BIO devices failed at an average of 2,926 cycles. All seven of the EQ, EQL, and DRS devices remained well fixed throughout cyclic loading. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study quantified glenoid fixation of six reverse shoulder designs; significant differences in fixation were observed between nearly every implant design tested.