The Possibilities of Standard Radiography with the Use Processing Radiographic Images and Multisection Computed Tomography when Planning a Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the informative value of standard radiography of the shoulder joint using computer processing software with the capabilities of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) before surgery in the volume of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. The radiographs of shoulder joints in standard projections and computed tomograms of 30 patients who were observed with the consequences of shoulder joint injuries before surgery in the volume of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. It is clearly shown that the use of specialized software provides additional information when choosing the size of the shoulder component of the endoprosthesis, allows for virtual restoration of the anatomy of the proximal humerus with severe post-traumatic deformation and limited mobility of the shoulder joint. However, during the program processing of X-ray images of the shoulder joint, no additional information was obtained when evaluating the geometric parameters of the shoulder blade glenoid. The data on the geometric characteristics of the glenoid, established using specialized software, were comparable with the results of image processing carried out in manual mode. Reliable characteristics, most important for preoperative planning of the positioning of the glenoid component of the endoprosthesis, could be obtained only by the results of MSCT.