For My Shoulder Muscle Atrophy What Is The Better Approach for Making Custom Deltoid Implants?

Q: Dr. Eppley, For my right shoulder implant(s) for deltoid muscle atrophy which is better…measured custom or a  D custom implant approach? Which one do you think is more beneficial.  Cost is not an issue,  I just want to know which is better and why.

A:3D custom body implants, designed by the patient’s 3-D CT scan, would provide an accurate estimation of size and volume of the lost muscle mass in the right shoulder. This would be the appropriate treatment approach if the patient wanted a very precise estimation of the volume and shape of the muscle mass to be replaced and wanted to be able to see that visually. This also refers to the type of patient that views their surgical reconstruction as a mathematical engineering project.

Conversely designing the muscle restoration implants for the right shoulder based on external measurements and prior patient implant designs with a similar problem is for the patient who can accept that such is surgery is an approximation update volume of muscle mass that needs to be restored and are happy with substantially reduced asymmetry and that perfect symmetry between the two shoulders cannot realistically be obtained. There’s also for the patient who has more economic constraints.

All of that being said the result differences between the two methods is probably not dramatically different.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon