The effects of surgical treatment in the management of the shoulder in people with rheumatoid arthritis are largely unknown due to the paucity of randomised controlled trials.
Rotator cuff repair during shoulder arthroplasty in rheumatoid arthritis.
A prospective study of 40 shoulder arthroplasties in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was performed to evaluate the results of rotator cuff repair at the time of arthroplasty. A large cuff tear was present in 21 shoulders, and good repair of the cuff was performed in 9. In the other shoulders the repair was considered insufficient. All patients were clinically evaluated using the Hospital for Special Surgery 100-point scoring system. The minimum follow-up period for inclusion in this study was 2 years. The quality of the repair of the ruptured cuff at the time of surgery had a significant influence on the postoperative clinical score (linear regression model, P = .002). The clinical score of the shoulders with good repair of the rotator cuff improved considerably and continued to improve even after the first-year follow-up examination. Meticulous repair of the ruptured cuff at the time of arthroplasty is recommended.