Soft tissue resurfacing for glenohumeral arthritis: a systematic review

Background: Severe glenohumeral arthritis in the young/active patient remains challenging. Historically, glenohumeral arthrodesis was recommended with limited return of function. Total shoulder arthroplasty has shown increasing survivorship at 15 years; however it is still not ideal for young patients. Biologic resurfacing of the glenoid with humeral head replacement has shown promising results. Methods: The PubMed and Embase databases were queried for studies evaluating outcomes of glenoid biologic resurfacing with autograft or allograft. Two independent reviewers performed a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Results: Eleven studies (268 shoulders, 264 patients) were included. Minimum follow-up was 24 months in all but one study; patient age ranged from 14 to 75 years. Glenoid grafts used included 44.3% lateral meniscus allografts, 25.4% human acellular dermal matrix, 14.2% Achilles tendon allografts, 11.6% shoulder joint capsules, and 4.5% fascia lata autografts. Studies reported significantly improved American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, Visual Analog Scale, and Simple Shoulder Test scores postoperatively; 43.3% were failures (Neer’s evaluation of unsatisfactory or requiring revision). Infection occurred in 12/235. Conclusions: Biologic resurfacing of the glenoid with a metallic humeral component can provide a significant improvement in pain, motion, and standardized outcomes scores in the well-indicated situation. Appropriate counseling is required with an appreciated complication rate of over 36% and a revision rate of 34%.