Reverse Shoulder Replacement saves life

An innovative ‘Reverse Shoulder Replacement’ (RSR) procedure was performed by a team of doctors at Sai Institute of Sports Medicine and Arthoscopy (SISA) Hospital for a patient suffering with shoulder tumour. The procedure was a first-of-its-kind in the country.

Shoulder and knee surgeon, Dr Raghuveer Reddy and a cross-section of experts in different fields performed the procedure with muscle transfer on Padma, a 46-year-old beautician.

Explaining the concept, Dr Raghuveer Reddy said, “RSR uses the deltoid muscle instead of rotator cuff for getting elevation of shoulder, thereby lifting the arm.

This reverse shoulder replacement is being used as extended indications such as in treating fractures in old aged patients with osteoporosis, (above 65-70 years where bone does not have much healing capacity), shoulder arthritis patients having rotator cuff muscle tears, salvage procedure for failed replacement and failed fracture surgeries and tumors of proximal humerus.”

In tumor cases, wide resection of bone and muscle tissue is done and gap is filled with spacer (long stem hemiarthroplasty) or fill gap with bone & fuse the joint. In the present case, tumor was resected by Dr IV Reddy after proximal one fourth of humerus bone resection. “Till now only two such surgeries have been performed in the world,” said Dr Reddy.