Summary
Early evidence from two small retrospective cohort studies suggests that reverse shoulder
arthroplasty appears similar to hemiarthroplasty for the treatment of proximal humeral
fractures in an elderly population. One study found no significant differences for
either functional outcomes or range of motion at follow-up. The other study found
that Constant scores and range of motion may be better for reverse shoulder arthroplasty.
However, only retrospective cohort studies were available, so no definitive conclusions
can be drawn from these two small studies using historical controls.
