TY - JOUR

T1 - Cuff tear arthropathy in the nineteenth century

T2 - "chronic rheumatic arthritis" with "partial luxation upwards" of the humeral head

AU - Brorson, Stig

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Introduction: Cuff tear arthropathy of the shoulder is a common indication for insertion of an increasing number of reverse shoulder arthroplasties. It is widely believed that this condition was unknown to medical practitioners and writers prior to the introduction of the term cuff tear arthropathy by Charles Neer in 1977. Purpose: To search nineteenth-century written sources for pathoanatomical and biomechanical descriptions of the typical changes found in cuff tear arthropathy. Methods: A historical review. Nineteenth-century medical textbooks, reviews, case series, autopsy reports and illustrations were systematically searched and retrieved for relevance. References were hand-searched. Illustrations were reproduced and interpreted. Results: A richly illustrated nineteenth-century literature was identified. The typical changes in cuff tear arthropathy were termed ‘chronic rheumatic arthritis’ of the shoulder with ‘partial luxation upwards’ of the humeral head and interpreted within a pathoanatomical and biomechanical framework. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of massive rotator cuff tears, biceps pathology and the osseous changes were identified and presented. Conclusion: The pathoanatomical and biomechanical changes later termed cuff tear arthropathy were well understood and nicely described in nineteenth-century medical literature.

AB - Introduction: Cuff tear arthropathy of the shoulder is a common indication for insertion of an increasing number of reverse shoulder arthroplasties. It is widely believed that this condition was unknown to medical practitioners and writers prior to the introduction of the term cuff tear arthropathy by Charles Neer in 1977. Purpose: To search nineteenth-century written sources for pathoanatomical and biomechanical descriptions of the typical changes found in cuff tear arthropathy. Methods: A historical review. Nineteenth-century medical textbooks, reviews, case series, autopsy reports and illustrations were systematically searched and retrieved for relevance. References were hand-searched. Illustrations were reproduced and interpreted. Results: A richly illustrated nineteenth-century literature was identified. The typical changes in cuff tear arthropathy were termed ‘chronic rheumatic arthritis’ of the shoulder with ‘partial luxation upwards’ of the humeral head and interpreted within a pathoanatomical and biomechanical framework. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of massive rotator cuff tears, biceps pathology and the osseous changes were identified and presented. Conclusion: The pathoanatomical and biomechanical changes later termed cuff tear arthropathy were well understood and nicely described in nineteenth-century medical literature.

KW - Acetabularization

KW - Cuff tear arthropathy

KW - Femoralization

KW - Long head of biceps

KW - Neer

KW - Nineteenth-century

KW - Rotator cuff tear

U2 - 10.1007/s00264-019-04380-4

DO - 10.1007/s00264-019-04380-4

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31388708

AN - SCOPUS:85070260122

VL - 43

SP - 2415

EP - 2423

JO - International Orthopaedics

JF - International Orthopaedics

SN - 0341-2695

ER -