Patients with rotator cuff tear arthropathy, preserved active motion and a stabilizing coracoacromial arch may experience safe and effective treatment with extended humeral head hemiarthroplasty, which researchers of a published study described as a less invasive alternative to reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

Researchers analyzed preoperative characteristics, surgical findings and clinical outcomes of 42 patients who had symptomatic rotator cuff tear arthropathy and retained active elevation greater than 90° and underwent extended humeral head hemiarthroplasty and had no complications or revisions at 2-year follow-up. Results showed improvement in simple shoulder test scores from a median of 3 to 8, as well as improvement in the percentage of patients able to perform each of the functions of the simple shoulder test. Researchers noted an increase in the ability to sleep comfortably from 19% to 71% and in the ability to place a coin on a shelf at shoulder level from 38% to 86%. Researchers found a median percentage of maximal possible improvement of 50%.