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Background and Purpose:  Neer 2-part surgical neck fractures are the most common displaced proximal humerus fractures. We aimed to evaluate patient-reported outcome in a consecutive series of older people receiving nonoperative treatment., Methods:  This is a single-center prospective cohort study. We included patients aged 60 or above referred to a Danish university hospital. The preregistered protocol followed the recommendations from randomized trials. Patients were followed at the outpatient clinic at 2, 6, and 24 weeks. After 24 weeks, they were evaluated with Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS, 0-48, 48 best) and EuroQoL 5 dimensions, 3 levels (EQ-5D-3L, -0.624 to 1, 1 best). Clinical failure was defined as conversion to surgery or OSS ≤ 24. Population norms were reported to interpret the cohort data, but no formal statistical comparisons between historical cohorts were planned. We used descriptive statistics to report rates and proportions., Results:  For 36 months, 268 patients (mean age 76, 79% female) with Neer 2-part surgical neck fractures received non-surgical treatment. After excluding patients with concomitant fractures, dementia, or death, complete follow-up was available for 167 patients. 8 patients (3.0%) had surgery. The mean OSS was 37.2 (SD 8.1), which equals 78% of maximum shoulder function. The norm for the population of the same age and gender was 82%. The mean EQ-5D-3L score was 0.79 (SD 0.16), while the norm for the same-age population was 0.82. 16 (10%) had an OSS score of 24 or below., Conclusion:  Non-surgical treatment in older people with Neer 2-part surgical neck fractures resulted after 6 months in patient-reported shoulder function and quality of life close to that of the Danish background population.

Background and Purpose: Humeral shaft fractures (HSF) can be treated surgically or non-surgically. National trends and distributions are sparsely reported. We present the temporal trends in epidemiology of adult HSF in Denmark, with the primary aim of reporting HSF incidences, and the secondary aim of reporting on the primary treatment management., Patients and Methods: The diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases Version 10 [ICD-10]: S42.3) and surgical procedure codes for HSF were obtained from the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) covering 1996-2018. The diagnosis code for HSF is validated in the DNPR with a positive predictive value of 89%. Patients aged 18 years and above were included. Surgical treatment was defined as a diagnosis of HSF combined with a surgical procedure within 3 weeks of injury. Cases without relevant registered procedures within 3 weeks were defined as nonsurgical treatment cases., Results: 23,718 HSF (62% female) were identified in the DNPR. The overall mean incidence was 25/100,000/year and was stable over 23 years. The population above 50 years accounted for 78% of all HSF. Non-surgical treatment accounted for 87% of treatments and was stable during the study period. Temporal changes were observed regarding surgical procedures; intramedullary nailing decreased from 57% to 26% and plate osteosynthesis increased from 12% to 69%., Conclusion: The overall incidence for HSF remained stable from 1996 to 2018. Most cases were females aged 50 years and above. The preferred primary treatment for HSF was non-surgical for all ages. Plate osteosynthesis became more popular than intramedullary nailing over the study period.

Background and Purpose: Proximal humeral fractures (PHF) can be managed surgically or non-surgically. Locking plates have been the preferred head-preserving surgical technique while hemiarthroplasty (HA) or reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) have been used in joint replacement surgery. We describe the epidemiology and trends in management of acute PHF in Denmark with a focus on (i) changes in the incidence of PHF; (ii) changes in the proportion of surgical cases; and (iii) changes in preferred surgical techniques., Patients and Methods: Data on diagnoses and interventions was retrieved from the Danish National Patient Register. Patients aged 18 years and above were included. Surgical treatment was defined as the diagnosis of PHF combined with a predefined surgical procedure code within 3 weeks of injury. Data on plate osteosynthesis, HA, RSA, and "other techniques" was retrieved. Non-surgical treatment was defined as no relevant surgical procedure code within 3 weeks., Results: We identified 137,436 PHF (72% women) in the Danish National Patient Register. The overall mean incidence was 138/100,000/year (500 for women 60 years or above). Non-surgical treatment accounted for 119,966 (87%). The 17,470 surgical procedures included 42% locking plates, 34% arthroplasties, and 25% other techniques. The rate of surgery declined from 17% in 2013 to 11% in 2018., Interpretation: The overall incidence of PHF remained stable between 1996 and 2018 but the absolute number increased. The approach to PHF remains predominantly non-surgical. The number of surgeries in Denmark have decreased since 2013, especially for locking plates and HA, while RSA is increasingly used.

Background and purpose - Extensive research and national multidisciplinary programs have striven to introduce uniform standards of treatment and mitigate mortality and adverse events after hip fracture surgery over the past decades. A large-scale overview of temporal developments in hip fracture surgery and care is warranted.Patients and methods - We studied Danish patients aged ≥ 60 years, sustaining their first ever hip fracture between 1997 and 2017. Patients were identified from the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR). Incidence rates of first hip fracture were calculated per 1,000 patient-years and stratified by age group and sex. Information on pre-injury living settings, comorbidities, and medications were obtained from national administrative registers. Type of fracture and treatment choice were recorded, and patients were followed for 1 year to observe mortality, readmission, and surgical complications.Results - Data from 153,058 patients was analyzed. Incidence rate decreased in both sexes, but only led to a reduction in the annual number of hip fractures in the female population. Choice of surgery shifted away from sliding hip screws and parallel implants (SHS-PI), towards intramedullary nailing and hemi-/arthroplasties for trochanteric and femoral neck fractures, respectively. Pre-injury diagnosed morbidity and 1-year readmissions increased contrary to mortality. Median age remained stable around 83 (IQR 77-88) for women and 80 (IQR 73-86) for men.Interpretation - Over the past 2 decades important aspects of hip fracture management have improved. However, sex differences were observed, and men remain more vulnerable than women in terms of morbidity, mortality, and incidence rate.

Background and purpose - Proximal humerus fractures (PHF) may result in sequelae indicating arthroplasty. We report cumulative survival rates and reasons for revision after arthroplasty for proximal humerus fracture sequelae (PHFS).Patients and methods - Data were derived from the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to illustrate survival rates. A scaled Schoenfeld residual plot was used to report the risk of revision for men relative to women in patients who were treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Revision was defined as removal or exchange of any component or the addition of a glenoid component.Results - 30,190 primary arthroplasties were reported from 2004 to 2016, of which 3,245 were for PHFS. The estimated 1-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative survival rates (95% CI) were 96% (95-97), 90% (89-92), and 86% (83-88) for stemmed hemiarthroplasty and 94% (92-95), 89% (87-91), and 86% (82-90) for RSA with a median time to revision of 18 months (IQR 9-44) and 3 months (IQR 0-17). The risk of revision for men relative to women in patients who were treated with RSA was 3.2 (1.9-5.1) 0-1 year after surgery and 1.9 (0.9-4.1) 1-8 years after surgery. The estimated 1-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative survival rates (95% CI) were 94% (92-96), 88% (85-90), and 80% (75-86) for men and 95% (94-96), 86% (84-89), and 81% (77-84) for young patients.Interpretation - Shoulder arthroplasty for PHFS was associated with lower survival rates, compared with previously published results of shoulder arthroplasty for acute PHF. The low arthroplasty survival rates for men and young patients especially are worrying.

Background and purpose - The revision rate of stemmed hemiarthroplasty (SHA) for acute proximal humeral fractures is low, but does not necessarily reflect the functional outcome. We report the revision rate of SHA for acute proximal humeral fractures and the proportion of arthroplasties that are not revised despite low functional outcome scores. Patients and methods - The Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry was used to identify all patients with a proximal humeral fracture that was treated with a SHA between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2015. Information on demographics, surgical procedures, and revisions was collected by the registry. The Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder (WOOS) index at 1 year was used as functional outcome score. We converted the score to a percentage of a maximum score with 100 being the best. Results - 2,750 SHAs in 2,719 patients were included. Mean age was 72 years (SD 11); 79% were women. Mean WOOS at 1 year was 55 (SD 26). A total of 101 (4%) arthroplasties were revised, and the 10-year cumulative implant survival rate was 95%. The Cox regression model showed a statistically significant impact on implant survival of age, but not of sex or arthroplasty brand. A WOOS score below 30 and 50 was reported in 11% and 25% of patients, respectively. Interpretation - We found a high implant survival rate, but also a high proportion of patients with a low functional outcome score 1 year after surgery.

Background and purpose - Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has become the treatment of choice for cuff-tear arthropathy. There are, however, concerns about the longevity and the outcome of an eventual revision procedure. Thus, resurfacing hemiarthroplasty (RHA) with extended articular surface has been suggested for younger patients. We compared the patient-reported outcome of these arthroplasty designs for cuff-tear arthropathy. Patients and methods - We included patients operated on because of cuff-tear arthropathy and reported to the Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry (DSR) from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2013. 117 RHA cases were matched by age and sex with 233 RSA controls. 34 of the RHAs were conventional and 67 were RHAs with extended articular surface. The Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder (WOOS) Index at 1 year was used as primary outcome. The score was converted to a percentage of a maximum score. Revision, defined as removal or exchange of any component or the addition of a glenoid component, was used as secondary outcome. Results - Median WOOS was 49 (30-81) for RHA and 77 (50-92) for RSA (p < 0.001). For patients younger than 65 years, median WOOS was 58 (44-80) after RHA, similar to the 54 after RSA (37-85). For patients older than 65 years, median WOOS was 48 (28-82) after RHA and 79 (55-92) after RSA (p < 0.001). Interpretation - In all patients RSA had a clinically and statistically better patient-reported outcome than RHA. However, in patients younger than 65 years the functional outcome was similar and poor for either arthroplasty type. The optimal treatment of CTA in young patients remains a challenge.

Background and purpose - It is unclear whether previous osteosynthesis is a risk factor for inferior outcome following shoulder arthroplasty for a proximal humeral fracture. We used data from the Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry (DSR) to examine this question. Patients and methods - All 285 patients treated with a shoulder arthroplasty after failed osteosynthesis of a proximal humeral fracture reported to DSR from 2006 to 2013 were included. Each case was matched with 2 controls (570) treated with a primary shoulder arthroplasty for an acute proximal humeral fracture. Patient reported outcome was assessed using the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS) and the relative risk of revision was reported. Results - The mean WOOS was 46 (SD 25) for a shoulder arthroplasty after failed osteosynthesis and 52 (27) after a primary shoulder arthroplasty. The relative risk of revision for a shoulder arthroplasty after failed osteosynthesis was 2 with a primary arthroplasty for fracture as reference. In a separate analysis of patients treated by locking plate the mean WOOS was 46 (24), with a relative risk of revision at 1.5 with a primary arthroplasty as reference. Interpretation - Compared with primary arthroplasty for proximal humeral fracture, we found an inferior patient-reported outcome and a substantial risk of revision for patients treated with a shoulder arthroplasty after failed osteosynthesis for a proximal humeral fracture. The risk and burdens of additional surgery should be accounted for when deciding on the primary surgical procedure.

Background and purpose - For more than half a century, stemmed hemiarthroplasty (SHA) has been used in the treatment of comminuted and displaced fractures of the proximal humerus. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has been increasingly popular in cases where it is difficult to obtain satisfactory fixation of the tuberosities. We report revision rates and reasons for revision after shoulder arthroplasty for acute fractures of the proximal humerus. Patients and methods - This study was based on a common dataset from the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA), which includes data reported to the national shoulder arthroplasty registries in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. We included 6,756 shoulder arthroplasties performed for acute fractures between 2004 and 2013. Results - There were 6,112 SHAs (90%) and 565 RSAs (8.4%). The cumulative arthroplasty survival rate after 5 years was 0.96 for both SHA and RSA. The relative risk of revision of RSA was 1.4 (95% CI: 0.9-2.2) with SHA as reference. For both types of arthroplasty, the most common reason for revision was infection (SHA 0.8%, RSA 2.1%). The relative risk of revision due to infection was 3.1 (95% CI: 1.6-5.9) for RSA with SHA as reference. The relative risk of revision for patients who were less than 75 years of age was 2.8 (95% CI: 2.0-3.8) compared to older patients. Interpretation - Revision after shoulder arthroplasty for acute fractures was rare. Survival rates were similar between SHA and RSA, but RSA had a statistically significant and clinically relevant higher risk of revision because of infection.

Background and Purpose: There is no consensus on which type of shoulder prosthesis should be used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We describe patients with RA who were treated with shoulder replacement, regarding patient-reported outcome, prosthesis survival, and causes of revision, and we compare outcome after resurfacing hemi-arthroplasty (RHA) and stemmed hemi-arthroplasty (SHA)., Patients and Methods: We used data from the national Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry and included patients with RA who underwent shoulder arthroplasty in Denmark between 2006 and 2010. Patient-reported outcome was obtained 1-year postoperatively using the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS), and rates of revision were calculated by checking revisions reported until December 2011. The patient-reported outcome of RHA was compared to that of SHA using regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, and previous surgery., Results: During the study period, 167 patients underwent shoulder arthroplasty because of rheumatoid arthritis, 80 (48%) of whom received RHA and 34 (26%) of whom received SHA. 16 patients were treated with total stemmed shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), and 24 were treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA). 130 patients returned a completed questionnaire, and the total mean WOOS score was 63. The cumulative 5-year revision rate was 7%. Most revisions occurred after RHA, with a revision rate of 14%. Mean WOOS score was similar for RHA and for SHA., Interpretation: This study shows that shoulder arthroplasty, regardless of design, is a good option in terms of reducing pain and improving function in RA patients. The high revision rate in the RHA group suggests that other designs may offer better implant survival. However, this should be confirmed in larger studies.

Purpose: We used patient-reported outcome and risk of revision to compare hemiarthroplasty (HA) with total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and stemmed hemiarthroplasty (SHA) with resurfacing hemiarthroplasty (RHA) in patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis., Patients and Methods: We included all patients reported to the Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry (DSR) between January 2006 and December 2010. 1,209 arthroplasties in 1,109 patients were eligible. Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS) was used to evaluate patient-reported outcome 1 year postoperatively. For simplicity of presentation, the raw scores were converted to a percentage of the maximum score. Revision rates were calculated by checking reported revisions to the DSR until December 2011. WOOS and risk of revision were adjusted for age, sex, previous surgery, and type of osteoarthritis., Results: There were 113 TSAs and 1096 HAs (837 RHAs and 259 SHAs). Patients treated with TSA generally had a better WOOS, exceeding the predefined minimal clinically important difference, at 1 year (mean difference 10, p < 0.001). RHA had a better WOOS than SHA (mean difference 5, p = 0.02), but the difference did not exceed the minimal clinically important difference. There were no statistically significant differences in revision rate or in adjusted risk of revision between any of the groups., Interpretation: Our results are in accordance with the results from other national shoulder registries and the results published in systematic reviews favoring TSA in the treatment of glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Nonetheless, this registry study had certain limitations and the results should be interpreted carefully.

Background and Purpose: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used by some arthroplasty registries to evaluate results after surgery, but non-response may bias the results. The aim was to identify a potential bias in the outcome scores of subgroups in a cohort of patients from the Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry (DSR) and to characterize non-responders., Methods: Patient-reported outcome of 787 patients operated in 2008 was assessed 12 months postoperatively using the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder (WOOS) index. In January 2012, non-responders and incomplete responders were sent a postal reminder. Non-responders to the postal reminder were contacted by telephone. Total WOOS score and WOOS subscales were compared for initial responders (n = 509), responders to the postal reminder (n = 156), and responders after telephone contact (n = 27). The predefined variables age, sex, diagnosis, geographical region, and reoperation rate were compared for responding and non-responding cohorts., Results: A postal reminder increased the response rate from 65% (6% incomplete) to 80% (3% incomplete) and telephone contact resulted in a further increase to 82% (2% incomplete). We did not find any statistically significant differences in total WOOS score or in any of the WOOS subscales between responders to the original questionnaire, responders to the postal reminder, and responders after telephone contact. However, a trend of worse outcome for non-responders was found. The response rate was lower in younger patients., Interpretation: Non-responders did not appear to bias the overall results after shoulder replacement despite a trend of worse outcome for a subgroup of non-responders. As response rates rose markedly by the use of postal reminders, we recommend the use of reminders in arthroplasty registries using PROMs.

The Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry (DSR) was established in 2004. Data are reported electronically by the surgeons. Patient-reported outcome is collected 10-14 months postoperatively using the Western Ontario osteoarthritis of the shoulder index (WOOS). 2,137 primary shoulder arthroplasties (70% women) were reported to the registry between January 2006 and December 2008. Mean age at surgery was 69 years (SD 12). The most common indications were a displaced proximal humeral fracture (54%) or osteoarthritis (30%). 61% were stemmed hemiarthroplasties, 28% resurfacing hemiarthroplasties, 8% reverse shoulder arthroplasties, and 3% total arthroplasties. Median WOOS was 59% (IQR: 37-82). 5% had been revised by the end of June 2010. The most frequent indications for revision were dislocation or glenoid attrition.

Background and Purpose: There is considerable uncertainty about the optimal treatment of displaced 4-part fractures of the proximal humerus. Within the last decade, locking plate technology has been considered a breakthrough in the treatment of these complex injuries., Methods: We systematically identified and reviewed clinical studies on the benefits and harms after osteosynthesis with locking plates in displaced 4-part fractures., Results: We included 14 studies with 374 four-part fractures. There were 10 case series, 3 retrospective observational comparative studies, 1 prospective observational comparative study, and no randomized trials. Small studies with a high risk of bias precluded reliable estimates of functional outcome. High rates of complications (16-64%) and reoperations (11-27%) were reported., Interpretation: The empirical foundation for the value of locking plates in displaced 4-part fractures of the proximal humerus is weak. We emphasize the need for well-conducted randomized trials and observational studies.