Abstract
The number of shoulder arthroplasties performed in the United States has more than
doubled in the last decade. Additionally, there has been a trend toward use of reverse
total shoulder arthroplasty and minimally invasive surgical techniques, such as resurfacing
humeral head arthroplasty. Thus radiologists will more frequently encounter imaging
of shoulder arthroplasty and these new designs. Successful postoperative radiologic
evaluation of shoulder reconstructions requires an understanding of their fundamental
hardware design, physiologic objective, preoperative imaging assessment, normal postoperative
radiologic appearance, and findings and types of complication. This article discusses
the designs of prostheses used around the shoulder joint, delineates indications and
alternatives for each of the different types of hardware, reviews radiographic and
cross-sectional preoperative imaging of shoulder arthroplasty, illustrates normal
postoperative imaging findings and measurements, and provides examples of hardware
complications.
Keywords
shoulder - arthroplasty - resurfacing - imaging - radiology
