Removal of well-fixed flanged humeral prostheses may require humeral expansion.

BACKGROUND: A flanged humeral stem design can be advantageous in achieving an interlock between the prosthetic and bone interface leading to a long-term stable loading pattern. The purpose of this study is to report a short case series involving revision of a flanged humeral prosthesis. Our hypothesis was that a greater percentage of the flanged prostheses undergoing revision would require some form of bone expansion to achieve stem removal compared to the nonflanged.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In the period from October 2004 to July 2008, 43 patients underwent revision of a humeral prosthetic stem by a single surgeon. Of these, 6 prostheses were of a triflanged design. Of these six, five (83%) could not be removed with longitudinal force and required some expansion of the bone in order to achieve stem extraction. Of the nonflanged humeral stems, 3/37 (8%) required bone expansion to achieve extraction. Analysis of the 2 groups showed a statistical difference in the need for humeral expansion (P < .000001).

CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons preparing to revise a flanged humeral stem should include expansion of the humeral shaft, by episiotomy or windowing, as part of their preoperative planning and informed consent of the patient.