Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Patients With Parkinson Disease: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

Parkinson disease (PD) is a chronic degenerative neu­rologic disorder with both motor and nonmotor facets. The motor symptoms, including increased risk for falls, fractures, and stiffness, contribute to the morbidity of arthroplasty. In this article, we report 3 cases of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in patients with PD. All patients achieved poor functional outcomes with mean (range) active forward flexion of 40° (20°-60°) at follow-up. Although each patient obtained significant pain relief—mean (range) visual analog scale score was less than 1 (0-2)—range of motion was poor. In addition, each patient developed significant glenoid notching, though no component loosening or migration was observed. Mean (range) postoperative follow-up was 17 (4-32) months. A patient who has PD and requires an inverse arthroplasty should be counseled that pain relief may be reliably achieved, while functional outcomes are poor.