Area of Focus: Shoulder & Upper Extremity

Exposure during a total shoulder arthroplasty continues to be a significant challenge, requiring the patient to be positioned for any necessary joint movement throughout the procedure and to minimize the patients postoperative discomfort. Multiple camera angles show how to skeletonize the inferior humeral neck all the way to about the 7 oclock position posteriorly. This step displaces the humerus enough to ensure good visualization of the glenoid. Presents a technique that includes a partial release of the teres major and the latissimus, both of which are repaired at the end of the procedure. These releases greatly reduce the torque stresses on the mid-humerus during external rotation, which is a key to gaining the desired exposure level.