Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis

Long-stem reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) with interlocking screws is indicated for trauma and revision shoulder arthroplasty and enables fixation of the prosthesis without cement or a plate while maintaining rotational stability. We investigated the distance of the radial nerve from the...

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Main Authors: Ethan R. Harris, BS, Steve S. Li, BA, Seyedeh Zahra Mousavi, BS, Prasenjit Saha, BA, Mark A. Haft, DO, Miriam D. Weisberg-Tannenbaum, MD, Umasuthan Srikumaran, MD, MBA, MPH
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:JSES International
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638325000957
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author Ethan R. Harris, BS
Steve S. Li, BA
Seyedeh Zahra Mousavi, BS
Prasenjit Saha, BA
Mark A. Haft, DO
Miriam D. Weisberg-Tannenbaum, MD
Umasuthan Srikumaran, MD, MBA, MPH
author_facet Ethan R. Harris, BS
Steve S. Li, BA
Seyedeh Zahra Mousavi, BS
Prasenjit Saha, BA
Mark A. Haft, DO
Miriam D. Weisberg-Tannenbaum, MD
Umasuthan Srikumaran, MD, MBA, MPH
author_sort Ethan R. Harris, BS
collection DOAJ
description Long-stem reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) with interlocking screws is indicated for trauma and revision shoulder arthroplasty and enables fixation of the prosthesis without cement or a plate while maintaining rotational stability. We investigated the distance of the radial nerve from the distal interlocking screws of the long-stem rTSA to recommend a safe approach in placement of this prosthesis. The 3 distal 4.5-mm cortical interlocking screws of a 200-mm long-stem rTSA (FX Shoulder) were inserted with the humeral prosthesis at 0° and 20° of retroversion in 8 cadaveric specimens. A curvilinear incision from the anterolateral cubital fossa extending superolaterally along the humerus was made to expose the radial nerve between the brachialis and brachioradialis. The shortest distance from each screw to the radial nerve at 90° of elbow flexion was measured, and mean and standard deviations were calculated. At 0° of retroversion of the humeral prosthesis, the most distal 3 screws were a mean 9.5, 4.2, and 0.93 mm away from the radial nerve, respectively, whereas 20° of retroversion yielded mean screw-to-radial-nerve distances of 20, 15, and 8.7 mm, respectively. The mean distance to the radial nerve increased with increasing retroversion of the stem. We recommend using at least 20° of retroversion and making an incision anteriorly with careful retraction of soft tissues posteriorly on the humeral shaft to enable direct visualization during placement of the most distal interlocking screws to protect neurovascular structures.
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spelling doaj-art-db8cc649dd6e44f9900fe35624d655362025-07-13T04:55:17ZengElsevierJSES International2666-63832025-07-019412821285Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysisEthan R. Harris, BS0Steve S. Li, BA1Seyedeh Zahra Mousavi, BS2Prasenjit Saha, BA3Mark A. Haft, DO4Miriam D. Weisberg-Tannenbaum, MD5Umasuthan Srikumaran, MD, MBA, MPH6Division of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USADivision of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USADivision of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USADivision of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USADivision of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USADivision of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USACorresponding author: Umasuthan Srikumaran, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 North Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.; Division of Shoulder Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USALong-stem reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) with interlocking screws is indicated for trauma and revision shoulder arthroplasty and enables fixation of the prosthesis without cement or a plate while maintaining rotational stability. We investigated the distance of the radial nerve from the distal interlocking screws of the long-stem rTSA to recommend a safe approach in placement of this prosthesis. The 3 distal 4.5-mm cortical interlocking screws of a 200-mm long-stem rTSA (FX Shoulder) were inserted with the humeral prosthesis at 0° and 20° of retroversion in 8 cadaveric specimens. A curvilinear incision from the anterolateral cubital fossa extending superolaterally along the humerus was made to expose the radial nerve between the brachialis and brachioradialis. The shortest distance from each screw to the radial nerve at 90° of elbow flexion was measured, and mean and standard deviations were calculated. At 0° of retroversion of the humeral prosthesis, the most distal 3 screws were a mean 9.5, 4.2, and 0.93 mm away from the radial nerve, respectively, whereas 20° of retroversion yielded mean screw-to-radial-nerve distances of 20, 15, and 8.7 mm, respectively. The mean distance to the radial nerve increased with increasing retroversion of the stem. We recommend using at least 20° of retroversion and making an incision anteriorly with careful retraction of soft tissues posteriorly on the humeral shaft to enable direct visualization during placement of the most distal interlocking screws to protect neurovascular structures.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638325000957Anatomy StudyCadaver Dissection
spellingShingle Ethan R. Harris, BS
Steve S. Li, BA
Seyedeh Zahra Mousavi, BS
Prasenjit Saha, BA
Mark A. Haft, DO
Miriam D. Weisberg-Tannenbaum, MD
Umasuthan Srikumaran, MD, MBA, MPH
Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis
JSES International
Anatomy Study
Cadaver Dissection
title Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis
title_full Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis
title_fullStr Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis
title_full_unstemmed Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis
title_short Distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long-stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric analysis
title_sort distance of the radial nerve from distal interlocking screws in long stem reverse shoulder arthroplasty a cadaveric analysis
topic Anatomy Study
Cadaver Dissection
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638325000957
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