Implant failure is a serious complication in reverse shoulder arthroplasty. We determined the incidence of glenosphere disengagement
in a cohort of 479 reverse shoulder prostheses (468 Delta III™ [DePuy International Ltd, Leeds, UK], 11 Aequalis™ [Tornier,
Grenoble, France]). We also determined whether disengagement adversely affected clinical outcomes. The minimum followup was
12 months (mean, 28.6 months; range, 12–72 months). Disengagement of the glenosphere occurred in 16 of 479 shoulders (3.2%).
In 13 patients, the disengagement was partial (clear step-off between the baseplate and the glenosphere) and was not associated
with a poor functional outcome with this short-term followup. In three patients, the disengagement led to a fracture of the
central screw, leading to a complete disengagement of the glenosphere from the baseplate, necessitating revision in two; the
third refused revision. Partial disengagement was seen in five of 11 Aequalis™ prostheses (45.4%) and eight of 468 Delta III™
prostheses (1.7%). The three total disengagements with central screw breakage all occurred in Delta III™ prostheses. We believe
differences in the type of locking screws may explain the differences observed between the two types of reverse prostheses.
Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
One or more of the authors (PD) have received funding from the Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders, Belgium.
Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation, that all investigations
were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent was obtained.
An erratum to this article can be found at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0578-8