Reverse shoulder arthroplasty in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures

The addition of the reverse prosthetic arthroplasty has become an attractive option in the treatment of complex fractures of the proximal humerus, particularly in elderly patients in whom bone may not be ideal for internal fixation or in whom tuberosity bone quality or comminution might make healing uncertain when considering hemiarthroplasty. The following suggests a reproducible technique accompanied by technical pearls which may help make reverse arthroplasty results more predictable in fracture management.