St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital ยท Spring Hill, Brisbane For referrers 07 3063 5500
Menu
ShouldersRehabilitationShoulder AnatomyShoulder Injuries and ConditionsShoulder SurgeryVideosSurgeries and RehabilitationACJ ExcisionAcromioplastyAll Surgeries and RehabilitationAnatomic Total Shoulder ReplacementArthroscopic Bankart RepairBiceps TenodesisBrachial Plexus ExplorationDistal Biceps RepairExcision of CalciumFrozen Shoulder ReleaseLatarjet and Labral RepairORIF Scapula, Clavicle and HumerusOs Acromiale SurgeryPec Major RepairRemplissageReverse Total Shoulder ReplacementRotator Cuff RepairScapula ResectionStabilisationSternoclavicular Joint StabilisationInformationAccommodationConsultationConsultation FAQsSurgery FAQsAboutDr Kenneth CutbushInside the Shoulder PodcastPhysiotherapyPublicationsQualificationsResearchShoulder FellowshipStaffContactNews

Shoulder Fellowship ·8 July 2025

Meeting with the Fellows

Meeting with the Brisbane Shoulder Fellowship fellows
Meeting with the Brisbane Shoulder Fellowship fellows

A 7am start

A 7am meeting with the fellows, which opened with a presentation by Dr Anand Ashok on whether the supraspinatus tendon should be preserved during reverse shoulder replacement surgery.

Meeting with the Brisbane Shoulder Fellowship fellows

What a fellows' meeting is for

The fellows are orthopaedic surgeons who have completed their specialist training and are spending a year concentrating on the shoulder. A regular meeting of the group, held before the operating day begins, is where one of them presents on a topic they have been reading into while the others question it. The format is deliberate. Presenting to colleagues who will push back is a more demanding exercise than reading alone, and it is how surgeons keep abreast of a literature that does not stop moving.

What the supraspinatus does

The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons that wrap around the top of the arm bone and hold it centred in its socket while the larger muscles move the arm. The supraspinatus is the one that runs across the top of the joint, and it is the tendon most often torn. When the cuff is intact it keeps the ball steady against the socket; when it is not, the ball tends to ride upwards and lifting the arm becomes difficult. Individual results vary.

The question under discussion

A reverse total shoulder replacement is designed to work without a functioning rotator cuff, relying on the deltoid instead. Where some supraspinatus tendon remains, the question of whether to preserve it or divide it to improve access is a genuine one, with arguments about movement, stability and exposure on both sides. It is the kind of question that has no settled answer, which is what makes it worth a fellows' meeting.

Those present

Dr Noemi Zaffaroni, Dr Rohit Sane, Mr Tristan Shuker and Dr Anand Ashok attended in person, with Dr Wolbert "Wolly" Van Den Hoorn and Dr Jashint Maharaj joining virtually. Discussion of complex and evolving shoulder surgery topics at that hour is energising.

Related information