The most common reason for revision of the total shoulder replacement is failure of the glenoid component. A few years back the metal backed glenoid components were introduced in an attempt to prolong the longevity of the implant. The idea of component screw fixation to the glenoid bone was challenged by the early failure of the metal backed glenoids. While the main reason of failure of the all polyethylene glenoid components was loosening, the metal backed components fail with several different modes. In our analysis of 4606 arthroplasties performed over a 40 year period it was shown that 1 in 25 all poly glenoid components are revised at 7 years post-op while 1 in 7 metal backed glenoid components needed revision at almost the same fwup time. The study was published in the June 18th issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and is authored by Anastasios Papadonikolakis and Frederick A Matsen.
The findings of our study are supported by the recent report of the Australian Total Joint Registry where it is indicated that the early failure of some metal backed designs resulted in removal of specific metal backed designs from the Australian implant market.
