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University Hospitals Department of Orthopaedics to perform live reverse shoulder replacement

Dr. Reuben Gobezie operates during a live webcast

CLEVELAND – The Reverse Shoulder Replacement is an FDA approved implant that has been performed successfully for over 10 years in Europe but wasn’t regularly performed in the United States until 2004. Dr. Reuben Gobezie, Orthopaedic Surgeon at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC), has been at the forefront of surgical advancements with the reverse shoulder replacement since joining the orthopaedic team at UHCMC from Massachusetts General. Dr. Gobezie and his team are able to help reduce lengthy, painful recovery times and vastly improve patients’ quality of life by allowing them to regain range of motion in the shoulder.

On August 30, 2007 at 12 p.m. during a live Webcast, Dr. Gobezie and his colleagues will perform a reverse shoulder replacement. The Webcast can be viewed at www.OR-Live.com. Viewers have the opportunity to ask the physicians questions during the program by clicking on the “MDirectAccess” link at www.OR-Live.com.

During this procedure, the orientation of the shoulder is changed so that the normal socket (glenoid), is replaced with an artificial ball, and the normal ball (humeral head) is replaced with an implant that has a socket into which the artificial ball rests. The design completely changes the mechanics of the shoulder and enables the artificial joint to function when the rotator cuff is either absent or when there is significant bone loss. The rotator cuff refers to the group of muscles and tendons stabilizing the shoulder.

The reverse shoulder replacement procedure is designed for use in shoulders that have deficient rotator cuff and arthritis or complex fractures, as well as other difficult shoulder reconstructions. It is sometimes a very useful option for revision of a failed prior joint replacement where the rotator cuff tendons are chronically torn and cannot be repaired.

“The results are incredible,” said Dr. Gobezie. “This operation allows patients to regain their quality of life they once had before needing surgery. Normal, everyday tasks that had become painful can now be completed with little or no pain at all.”

Patients typically suffer few surgical side effects, and are able to rehab with less pain than traditional shoulder operations. Most patients report minimal or no pain after surgery and are able to raise the arm much higher than prior to surgery.

Dr. Gobezie was trained by world renowned French surgeon Dr. Jilles Walch, one of the founding fathers of the reverse shoulder replacement.

About University Hospitals
With 150 locations throughout Northeast Ohio, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians. At the core of our Health System is University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked best in the Midwest and first in the nation for the care of critically ill newborns; MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and Ireland Cancer Center, which holds the nation's highest designation by the National Cancer Institute of Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org

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