Preoperative planning of baseplate position in reverse shoulder arthroplasty: Still no consensus on lateralization, version and inclination

Abstract

Introduction: In the context of reverse shoulder arthroplasty, some parameters of glenoid baseplate placement follow established golden rules, while other parameters still have no consensus. The assessment of glenoid wear in the future location of the glenoid baseplate varies among surgeons. The objective of this study was to analyze the inter-observer reproducibility of glenoid baseplate 3D positioning during virtual pre-operative planning.

Method: Four shoulder surgeons planned the glenoid baseplate position of a reverse arthroplasty in the CT scans of 30 degenerative shoulders. The position of the glenoid guide pin entry point and the glenoid baseplate center was compared between surgeons. The baseplate's version and inclination were also analyzed.

Results: The 3D positioning of the pin entry point was achieved within ± 4 mm for nearly 100% of the shoulders. The superoinferior, anteroposterior and mediolateral positions of the baseplate center were achieved within ± 2 mm for 77.2%, 67.8% and 39.4% of the plans, respectively. The 3D orientation of the glenoid baseplate within ± 10° was inconsistent between the four surgeons (weak agreement, K=0.31, p=0.17).

Discussion: The placement of the glenoid guide pin was very consistent between surgeons. Conversely, there was little agreement on the lateralization, version and inclination criteria for positioning the glenoid baseplate between surgeons. These parameters need to be studied further in clinical practice to establish golden rules. Three-dimensional information from pre-operative planning is beneficial for assessing the glenoid deformity and for limiting its impact on the baseplate position achieved by different surgeons.

Level of evidence: III. Case control study.

Keywords: Baseplate positioning; Glenoid grafting; Glenoid reaming; Pre-operative planning; Reverse shoulder arthroplasty.