Your surgeon may discuss various options for you and your shoulder.
Often, a half replacemnt ( or hemiarthroplasty) may be deemed suitable, however, if the cup side (glenoid) is damaged it may be better to have a total shoulder replacement.
Imaging prior to shoulder replacement
You may have further imaging studies to help in the decision making
Plain X-Rays
Here there is marked arthritis. No joint space can be seen.
The state of bone wear on the glenoid, both volume and version (direction) cannot be well appreciated on plain views
CT scans
CT scans give images as if the shoulder has been in a bacon slicer. They are a specialized type of X-ray.
In the view on the right erosion of the glenoid, particularly posteriorly (at the back) can be seen
Templating
Many hospitals now use a computerised system to view and store their X-rays.
It is now possible to also store computer templates of implants so that a plan of the proposed operation can be made.
This helps foresee any problems and plan appropriately before the patient ever gets to theatre
The End Result
Before After
In this case you can see that the shoulder joint has been returned to its correct position and a joint space can now be seen.
Back to other shoulder replacements