• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.238-244
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• 2023

Background: Many patients use online resources to educate themselves on surgical procedures and make well-informed healthcare decisions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality and readability of online resources exploring shoulder arthroplasty. Methods: An internet search pertaining to shoulder arthroplasty (partial, anatomic, and reverse) was conducted using the three most popular online search engines. The top 25 results generated from each term in each search engine were included. Webpages were excluded if they were duplicates, advertised by search engines, subpages of other pages, required payments or subscription, or were irrelevant to our scope. Webpages were classified into different source categories. Quality of information was assessed by HONcode certification, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria, and DISCERN benchmark criteria. Webpage readability was assessed using the Flesch reading ease score (FRES). Results: Our final dataset included 125 web pages. Academic sources were the most common with 45 web pages (36.0%) followed by physician/private practice with 39 web pages (31.2%). The mean JAMA and DISCERN scores for all web pages were 1.96±1.31 and 51.4±10.7, respectively. The total mean FRES score was 44.0±11.0. Only nine web pages (7.2%) were HONcode certified. Websites specified for healthcare professionals had the highest JAMA and DISCERN scores with means of 2.92±0.90 and 57.96±8.91, respectively (P<0.001). HONcode-certified webpages had higher quality and readability scores than other web pages. Conclusions: Web-based patient resources for shoulder arthroplasty information did not show high-quality scores and easy readability. When presenting medical information, sources should maintain a balance between readability and quality and should seek HONcode certification as it helps establish the reliability and accessibility of the presented information. Level of evidence: IV.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.117-125
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• 2024

While shoulder hemiarthroplasty is still used to treat young patients with shoulder pathology, the use of this procedure has substantially declined in recent years due to its significant complication profile. Glenoid wear with arthrosis is one of the major postoperative complications following shoulder hemiarthroplasty, and efforts to prevent this complication led many scientists to explore alternative weight-bearing surfaces on arthroplasty implants to decrease joint wear and improve patient outcomes. Pyrolytic carbon, or pyrocarbon, is a material that has better biocompatibility, survivorship, strength, and wear resistance compared to the materials used in traditional shoulder hemiarthroplasty. Pyrocarbon implants have been used in orthopedics for over 50 years; recently, their utility in shoulder hemiarthroplasty has garnered much interest. The purpose behind the use of pyrocarbon in shoulder hemiarthroplasty is to decrease the risk of progressive glenoid wear, especially in young active patients in whom joint preservation is important. Promising survivorship and outcomes have been demonstrated by recent studies, including limited glenoid wear following pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasty. Nevertheless, these clinical studies have been limited to relatively small case series with limited long-term follow-up. Accordingly, additional research and comparative studies need to be conducted in order to properly assess the therapeutic efficacy and value of pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasty.