• BACKGROUND
    • Intraoperative computer navigation has been introduced recently to assist with placement of the glenoid component. The aim of this study was to evaluate the learning curve of a single surgeon performing computer navigation of glenoid implant placement in primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA).
  • METHODS
    • Following training with the intraoperative computer navigation system, we conducted a prospective case-series study of the first 24 consecutive patients undergoing a primary RTSA with navigation performed by a single surgeon. Surgical times, complications, and accuracy of glenoid positioning compared with the preoperative plan were evaluated. Surgical times were compared with the preceding non-navigated series of 24 consecutive primary RTSA cases. Postoperative 3-dimensional computed tomography scans were performed to evaluate glenoid component version and inclination compared with the preoperative plan.
  • RESULTS
    • The total surgical time was 77.3 minutes (standard deviation [SD], 11.8 minutes) in the navigated RTSA cohort and 78.5 minutes (SD, 18.1 minutes) in the non-navigated series. A significant downward trend in the total surgical time was observed in the navigated cohort (P = .038), which flattened after 8 cases. No learning curve was observed in deviation of glenoid version or inclination from the preoperative plan. The mean deviation of achieved version from planned version was 3° (SD, 2°), and the mean deviation of achieved inclination from planned inclination was 5° (SD, 3°).
  • CONCLUSION
    • Findings from this study suggest that intraoperative computer navigation will not require substantially increased operating times compared with standard surgical techniques. With prior surgeon training, approximately 8 operative cases are required to achieve proficiency in intraoperative computer navigation of the glenoid component.