What is Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement?
In conventional Total Shoulder Replacement, the normal anatomy of the shoulder joint is copied; to replace the shoulder socket, a plastic cup is fitted to the shoulder bone and to replace the ball or top of the upper arm bone (Humerus), a metal ball is attached to the Humerus. However, in a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement, also known as Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (RTSA), the placement of the metal ball and the plastic cup is switched. The metal ball is attached to the shoulder bone, and the plastic cup is fixed to the upper arm bone.
RTSA was first performed in Europe in 1987 and the USA in 2004. It was approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in 2004, and since then, the number of RTSA performed annually has been growing exponentially.