Chairing the meeting
Dr Kenneth Cutbush chaired Arthrex's Shoulder2Shoulder meeting in Brisbane.
What superior capsular reconstruction involves
When a rotator cuff tear is described as irreparable, it means the tendon has retracted and the muscle has wasted to the point where it can no longer be brought back to the bone and held there. The ball of the shoulder then tends to ride upwards in the socket, and lifting the arm becomes difficult. A superior capsular reconstruction does not repair the tendon. Instead a graft is fixed between the top of the socket and the top of the arm bone, where it acts as a tether holding the ball down in its socket so that the remaining muscles can move the arm more effectively. Individual results vary.
Superior capsular reconstruction
There was considerable interest in new technology for shoulder procedures, and particularly in the developing technique of superior capsular reconstruction for irreparable rotator cuff tears in younger patients.
The reason that group matters is that the usual answer to an irreparable cuff tear, a reverse total shoulder replacement, is a less attractive proposition for someone in their forties or fifties, who would be likely to outlive the implant. A joint-preserving option is therefore of real interest in that age group. Individual results vary.
The panel discussions with the other surgeons were the hardest part of the day, in the sense that the audience questions were not easy ones.
What chairing a meeting involves
The chair of a meeting of this kind sets the running order, introduces each speaker, keeps the programme to time and runs the discussion afterwards. The last of those is the substantive part: deciding which questions from the floor to put to which panel member, and drawing out disagreement between panellists rather than letting it pass, is what separates a useful session from a series of unconnected talks.
Related information
- Our post on superior capsular reconstruction
- Our post on the SCR interest group
- Our rotator cuff tear page
- Our reverse total shoulder replacement page