A comparison of perioperative outcomes in patients with and without rheumatoid arthritis after receiving a total shoulder replacement arthroplasty.

Hypothesis: The long-term survival rate of total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is comparable to hip and knee arthroplasty. Although TSA is considered a safe and effective procedure with low complications in patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), data are lacking on perioperative complications. Complication rates and hospital disposition differences between patients with and without RA who underwent TSA were investigated.

A comparative assessment of alignment angle of the knee by radiographic and physical examination methods.

Objective: To compare the knee-alignment angle from a full-limb radiograph (mechanical axis) with the anatomic-axis angle as measured by physical examination using a goniometer and by 2 other radiographic methods.

Methods: The knee-alignment angle was measured in 114 knees of 57 subjects who had radiographic osteoarthritis (OA), with a Kellgren/Lawrence grade of >/=1 in at least one knee. The mechanical axis was defined as the angle formed by the intersection of 2 lines, one from the center of the head of the femur to the center of the tibial spines, and a second from the center of the talus to the center of the tibial spines.