Prophylactic Conjoint Tendon Lengthening During Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty Outcomes

NCT ID: NCT06729983

Last Updated: 2025-03-07

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

110 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-03-31

Study Completion Date

2029-03-31

Brief Summary

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Some patients may experience persistent pain in the front of their shoulder after reverse shoulder replacement. One of the possible reasons for this is that the surgery causes a change in the alignment of the shoulder joint, which may cause increased tension and compression on one of the biceps tendon called the conjoint tendon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether conjoint tendon lengthening, a surgical procedure that involves cutting and lengthening the conjoint tendon in order to reduce tension and compression, is able to prevent or reduce the risk of anterior shoulder pain at one year after surgery.

Detailed Description

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Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is a surgical procedure that is used to treat severe shoulder arthritis with rotator cuff damage. RSA involves reversing the ball and socket of the shoulder joint, such that the ball is attached to the shoulder blade and the socket is attached to the upper arm bone. This allows the deltoid muscle to take over the function of the rotator cuff and provide more stability and mobility to the shoulder. RSA has been shown to improve pain, function, and quality of life in patients with various shoulder conditions, such as rotator cuff tear arthropathy, glenohumeral osteoarthritis, complex proximal humeral fractures, pseudoparalysis, and revision shoulder arthroplasty.

However, some patients may experience persistent anterior shoulder pain after RSA, which can limit their function and quality of life. The exact cause and prevalence of this complication are not well understood, but several possible mechanisms have been proposed, such as impingement, instability, infection, nerve injury, fracture, scapular notching, and conjoint tendinitis.

Conjoint tendinitis is a condition where the tendon that connects the coracoid process to the upper arm bone, called the conjoint tendon, becomes inflamed and painful. The conjoint tendon is part of the biceps muscle and the coracobrachialis muscle, and it plays a role in shoulder flexion and internal rotation. Conjoint tendinitis may occur after RSA due to the increased tension and compression on the anterior shoulder caused by the shift in the center of rotation of the joint. Conjoint tendinitis may manifest as anterior shoulder pain, tenderness over the coracoid process, and decreased range of motion and strength.

Conjoint tendon lengthening (CTL) is a surgical procedure that involves cutting or lengthening the conjoint tendon, which may relieve the pain by reducing the tension and compression on the anterior shoulder. CTL can be performed as a primary procedure during RSA, or as a secondary procedure after RSA. The rationale for performing CTL as a primary procedure is to prevent the development of conjoint tendinitis and anterior shoulder pain after RSA. The rationale for performing CTL as a secondary procedure is to treat the patients who have failed conservative treatments, such as physical therapy, injections, or medications, and have persistent anterior shoulder pain after RSA.

The literature on CTL for anterior shoulder pain after RSA is scarce and mostly consists of case reports and case series. There is no randomized controlled trial or systematic review on this topic. The existing studies have reported favorable results of CTL, with improvement in pain, function, and patient-reported outcomes. However, the studies have also acknowledged the limitations of their methods, such as small sample size, lack of control group, short follow-up, and potential bias. Therefore, the evidence for the effectiveness of CTL for anterior shoulder pain after RSA is weak and inconclusive.

The gap or problem that this research aims to address is the lack of high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of prophylactic CTL during RSA for preventing or reducing anterior shoulder pain at one year after surgery. The investigators hypothesize that patients who undergo prophylactic CTL during RSA will have less anterior shoulder pain at one year after surgery than those who do not. The investigators will test this hypothesis by conducting a randomized controlled trial with two groups: CTL group and control group. The investigators will compare the pain intensity, range of motion, strength, activity level, and patient-reported outcomes of the two groups at 6 months and 12 months after RSA. The investigators will also identify the factors that predict the response to CTL, such as age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, duration of pain, and severity of arthritis. This research will contribute to the knowledge in the field of shoulder surgery by providing high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of prophylactic CTL during RSA for anterior shoulder pain. This research will also have practical implications for the field of shoulder surgery by providing a viable option for patients who suffer from anterior shoulder pain after RSA, and enhancing their function and quality of life.

Conditions

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Osteoarthritis Shoulder

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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Control

Standard reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standard Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

A standard reverse shoulder arthroplasty procedure will be performed

Treatment

Prophylactic conjoint tendon lengthening in addition to reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Prophylactic Conjoint Tendon Lengthening

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

During a standard reverse shoulder arthroplasty procedure, the conjoint tendon will be incised and lengthened prophylactically

Interventions

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Prophylactic Conjoint Tendon Lengthening

During a standard reverse shoulder arthroplasty procedure, the conjoint tendon will be incised and lengthened prophylactically

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Standard Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty

A standard reverse shoulder arthroplasty procedure will be performed

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients who are at least 18 years old undergoing primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty
* Operations that occur at Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, IL), Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center (Maywood, IL), or Gottlieb Memorial Hospital

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients younger than 18 years old
* Patients who had prior coracoid transfer procedure
* Patients who are undergoing revision surgery from a prior arthroplasty
* Current pregnancy As per standard protocol with all surgeries, a urine pregnancy test is performed prior to surgery. If positive, the surgery will be cancelled and the patient will be excluded from the research study.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Loyola University School of Medicine

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Nickolas Garbis

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Nickolas Garbis

Chief of Shoulder/Elbow Division

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Nickolas G Garbis, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Loyola University

Locations

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Loyola Outpatient Center

Maywood, Illinois, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Nickolas G Garbis, MD

Role: CONTACT

708-254-5312

Dane H Salazar, MD, MBA

Role: CONTACT

773-562-0456

Facility Contacts

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Nickolas G Garbis, MD

Role: primary

708-254-5312

References

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Werner BC, Chang B, Nguyen JT, Dines DM, Gulotta LV. What Change in American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score Represents a Clinically Important Change After Shoulder Arthroplasty? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Dec;474(12):2672-2681. doi: 10.1007/s11999-016-4968-z. Epub 2016 Jul 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27392769 (View on PubMed)

Vij N, Tummala S, Shahriary E, Tokish J, Martin S. Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Versus Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty in Primary Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis With Intact Rotator Cuffs: A Meta-Analyses. Cureus. 2024 Apr 8;16(4):e57866. doi: 10.7759/cureus.57866. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38725735 (View on PubMed)

Gomez GV, Huffman GR. Conjoint tendon lengthening for recalcitrant anterior shoulder pain after reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a technique article. JSES Rev Rep Tech. 2022 Jan 13;2(2):164-167. doi: 10.1016/j.xrrt.2021.12.005. eCollection 2022 May.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37587959 (View on PubMed)

Tashjian RZ, Frandsen JJ, Christensen GV, Chalmers PN. Conjoint tendon release for persistent anterior shoulder pain following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. JSES Int. 2020 Jul 31;4(4):975-978. doi: 10.1016/j.jseint.2020.07.005. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33345243 (View on PubMed)

Boileau P, Melis B, Duperron D, Moineau G, Rumian AP, Han Y. Revision surgery of reverse shoulder arthroplasty. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2013 Oct;22(10):1359-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2013.02.004. Epub 2013 May 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23706884 (View on PubMed)

Black EM, Roberts SM, Siegel E, Yannopoulos P, Higgins LD, Warner JJ. Failure after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: what is the success of component revision? J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2015 Dec;24(12):1908-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2015.05.029. Epub 2015 Jul 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26163279 (View on PubMed)

Anakwenze OA, Kancherla VK, Carolan GF, Abboud J. Coracoid fracture after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: a report of 2 cases. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 2015 Nov;44(11):E469-72.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26566565 (View on PubMed)

Schwartz DG, Kang SH, Lynch TS, Edwards S, Nuber G, Zhang LQ, Saltzman M. The anterior deltoid's importance in reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a cadaveric biomechanical study. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2013 Mar;22(3):357-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2012.02.002. Epub 2012 May 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22608931 (View on PubMed)

Schairer WW, Nwachukwu BU, Lyman S, Craig EV, Gulotta LV. National utilization of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in the United States. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2015 Jan;24(1):91-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2014.08.026. Epub 2014 Oct 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25440519 (View on PubMed)

Kim SH, Wise BL, Zhang Y, Szabo RM. Increasing incidence of shoulder arthroplasty in the United States. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011 Dec 21;93(24):2249-54. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.J.01994.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22258770 (View on PubMed)

Grammont PM, Baulot E. The classic: Delta shoulder prosthesis for rotator cuff rupture. 1993. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011 Sep;469(9):2424. doi: 10.1007/s11999-011-1960-5. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21732025 (View on PubMed)

Drake GN, O'Connor DP, Edwards TB. Indications for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in rotator cuff disease. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2010 Jun;468(6):1526-33. doi: 10.1007/s11999-009-1188-9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20049573 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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218607

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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