title: Hemi- versus bipolar shoulder arthroplasty for chronic rotator cuff arthropathy.
abstract: Both bipolar and hemiarthroplasty have been used to treat rotator cuff arthropathy (RCA) of the shoulder in patients with low functional demands. In this study, 41 patients treated with either a bipolar or hemiarthroplasty were selected retrospectively to detect possible differences in the functional outcome and to evaluate radiological properties of the implants. Patients were examined before and 30 +/- 6 months after surgery. There were no differences in the Constant scores between the groups treated with hemiarthroplasty and bipolar arthroplasty, 58.9 +/- 13.1 points and 55.8 +/- 13.5 points, respectively (P = 0.457). We found a significant increase in abduction postoperatively in both groups (P = 0.041 bipolar, P = 0.000 hemiarthroplasty) but without statistical significance between the hemiarthroplasty and bipolar arthroplasty groups (P = 0.124, F = 2.6). This result is related in the bipolar group due to movement between the shell and inner head (P = 0.042) and in the hemiarthroplasty group due to movement between the humeral head component and the glenoid (P = 0.000). In conclusion, we found that both hemiarthroplasty and bipolar arthroplasty are effective treatment options for carefully selected patients with RCA and low functional demands, with no differences between the groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Otto-von-Guericke-University, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany. Alexander.Berth@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berth
authors.forename: Géza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pap
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000601:surgery*