Reverse shoulder arthroplasty: clinical results and quality of life evaluation☆

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical and radiological results and the impact on quality of life of the reverse shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS Retrospective case series evaluating 13 patients undergoing reverse shoulder arthroplasty with at least two years of clinical follow-up. Clinical evaluation was performed before and after surgery with the ASES and VAS scales and hand-mouth, hand-neck, and hand-head functional tests. Quality of life was measured with the SF-12 questionnaire. The rate of complications and radiographic postoperative findings were recorded. RESULTS The patients improved from 23.1 ± 15 to 82.7 ± 15 according to ASES scale (p < 0.001). The physical component of the SF-12 increased from 31.7 ± 6.9 to 47.1 ± 8.6 (p < 0.001), while the emotional increased from 48 ± 12.3 to 55.5 ± 7.5 (p = 0.061). The pain reduced from 7.9 to 1 according to the VAS (p = 0.002). The performance on the hand-mouth, hand-neck, and hand-head functional tests showed significant improvement (p = 0.039, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Complications occurred in 15% of patients and notching, in 31%. CONCLUSION Reverse shoulder arthroplasty led to a significant clinical improvement according to the ASES and VAS scales. The quality of life has improved according to the physical aspect of the SF-12, and showed a trend of improvement in the emotional aspect. The complication rate was 15%, and notching occurred in 31%.