Arthroscopic Biologic Total Shoulder Resurfacing

Advantages Of This Procedure

Dr. Thomas Kovack is a leading arthroscopic shoulder surgeon. The arthroscopic biological total shoulder replacement possesses four potential advantages as a resurfacing procedure over total or partial shoulder replacements with metal and/or plastic parts:

• This minimally invasive surgery is done arthroscopically as an outpatient procedure.
• Unlike conventional total or partial shoulder replacement, the arthroscopic total shoulder replacement does not cut through any of the rotator cuff muscles in order to gain access to the shoulder joint and perform the replacement.
• The arthroscopic biologic shoulder replacement replaces the worn cartilage of osteoarthritis with transplanted ‘healthy’ cartilage from a cadaver donor rather than synthetic metal and/or plastic as with a conventional partial or total shoulder replacement.
• The procedure removes a minimal amount of bone that makes revision to conventional total shoulder replacement or arthroscopic revision with another graft technically feasible later, if needed.
• Learn more about arthroscopic biologic total shoulder resurfacing from Dr. Kovack’s March 2018 article in Techniques in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery.

Watch The Arthroscopic Biologic Total Shoulder Resurfacing Surgery

Reduced Risk Of Complications

The use of biologic instead of synthetic material enables an arthroscopic replacement to be done, allowing surgeons to access and treat the joint through the rotator interval without violating or injuring the rotator cuff muscles. Using the biologic material also helps to reproduce normal anatomy and function.

Recovery

Because this is a minimally invasive procedure, it is significantly less painful than total shoulder arthroplasty and allows for early rehabilitation with the potential to significantly decrease the rehabilitation required after surgery compared with total shoulder arthroplasty.

Watch Dr. Blue Discuss His Story/Arthroscopic Biologic Total Shoulder Resurfacing Surgery

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for this new procedure

• is younger than 50.
• is physically active.
• has relatively flexible arthritic shoulders.