The data from this study suggest that arthroplasty with the Reverse Shoulder Prosthesis may be a viable treatment for patients with glenohumeral arthritis and a massive rotator cuff tear. However, future studies will be necessary to determine the longevity of the implant and whether it will provide continued improvement in function.

When non-arthroplasty options either have failed or have a low likelihood of success, reverse shoulder arthroplasty provides reliable pain relief and return of shoulder function in patients with massive rotator cuff tears without arthritis at the time of short to intermediate-term follow-up.

An understanding of a hierarchy of prosthetic design and implantation factors may be important to maximize impingement-free abduction motion as well as to avoid inferior impingement.

Recent advances in reverse shoulder arthroplasty have allowed for improvement in patient outcomes while minimizing early mechanical failure and scapular notching and decreasing the overall complication rate at short-term follow-up.