Clinical and Radiological Outcomes after Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Using Custom-Made Glenoid Components: A Systematic Review

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty presents itself sometimes as challenging when it comes to addressing massive bone loss, either in primary or revision settings. Custom components recently have made their way into shoulder prosthetics and are meant to help in the case of extensive glenoid bone destruction. Because of strict indication and the fairly recent introduction of these implants, the usage of custom-made glenoid implants is not very common yet. However, the early results are promising. The purpose of this review was to summarize and analyze the available literature. Therefore, a systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of the databases PubMed, Cochrane, and Livivo was performed to screen for studies reporting on clinical and radiological outcomes of custom glenoid implants. Four studies with a total of 46 shoulders were included in this review. The mean patient age was 68.8 years and the mean time of follow-up was 24.3 months. The weighted means showed an increase in CMS (32.7 points), in ASES (39.8 points), in anteversion (67.4 degrees), and in abduction (51.9 degrees) and a decrease in VAS (5.4 points). Custom-made glenoid implants are therefore a viable option in cases of large combined glenoid bone loss, both in primary and revision shoulder arthroplasty.