Safety and efficacy of arthroscopy in the setting of shoulder arthroplasty

Shoulder arthroplasty has become a reliable and reproducible method of treating a range of shoulder pathologies including fractures, osteoarthritis, and rotator cuff arthropathy. Although most patients experience favorable outcomes from shoulder arthroplasty, some patients suffer from persistent symptoms post-arthroplasty and it is these patients who present a unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The role of arthroscopy in assessing and treating patients with symptomatic prosthetic joints elsewhere in the body has been established in recent literature. However, the range of pathology that can affect a prosthetic shoulder is distinct from the knee or the hip and requires careful and considered assessment if an accurate diagnosis is to be made. When used alongside other investigations in a comprehensive assessment protocol, arthroscopy can play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of the problematic shoulder arthroplasty.