reverse shoulder replacement

Our surgeon here in Georgia has recommended reverse shoulder replacement for my 65 year old husband.  He says the rotator cuff is worn and the tendon's are fatty and torn badly.  He says regular surgery won't do.  What do you know about this surgery and how successful is it?  Any help would be appreciated.

[Michael L Gross, MD]

Reverse shoulder arthroplasty is an exciting new approach to chronic rotator cuff tears.  In the past, this injury led to an arthritic condition known as cuff tear arthropathy and loss of function in the affected arm. With the use of Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty, many patients have been successfully treated and have returned to good function.
The shoulder is a ball in socket joint. The ball is on top of the arm and fits in a socket known as the glenoid. Essentially, the reverse shoulder puts the socket on top of the humerus, and puts the ball where the glenoid is.  This allows the the arm to function more properly despite the loss of leverage caused by the absent rotator cuff tendons.  One problem that shoulder repacements have had in the past in chronic rotator cuff tear shoulders is loosening and failure of the socket in a short time.  The Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty addresses this.
Short term results in North America and Europe appear promising.  One caveat, the surgeon who performs this procedure should be familiar with it and should perform it regularly.