Raffaele Garofalo

Prof. Dr. Raffaele Garofalo

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

24Years (2003-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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1 July 2010 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
Alessandro CastagnaAlessandro Castagna
Alessandro Castagna
NMNikolaos Markopoulos
Nikolaos Markopoulos
MCMarco Conti
Marco Conti
GRGiacomo Delle Rose
Giacomo Delle Rose
EPEugenia Papadakou
Eugenia Papadakou
RGRaffaele Garofalo
Raffaele Garofalo
Background: There are not many reports in the literature about the long-term outcomes in terms of recurrence and degenerative changes after arthroscopic capsulolabral reconstruction for anterior shoulder instability. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term follow-up (minimum 10 years) of arthroscopic suture-anchor repair for traumatic unidirectional anterior instability, with special emphasis on the radiological evidence of arthritis and clinical outcome. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Forty-two patients (43 shoulders) treated at our institute from 1995 to 1997 were included in the study. Thirty patients (31 shoulders) were available for clinical and radiological examination (71%). The mean follow-up was 10.9 years (range, 9.8-14.3 years). Patients were evaluated preoperatively and after surgery using the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and Rowe score. Patient satisfaction was determined by asking the patients if they would do this operation again. Radiological outcome was used to evaluate the incidence and grade of arthritis according to the Samilson-Prieto classification. Results: At the final follow-up examination, 5 patients (16%) reported an atraumatic recurrent instability, while 2 recurrences (7%) occurred after a major injury. Three of the 7 recurrences occurred 6 years after surgery. All of the patients in the recurrence group except 1 were contact or overhead athletes. Twenty-six patients were satisfied (84%) with the outcome. The SST showed an improvement of shoulder function in 23 cases, the UCLA score improved from 21.8 to 32.1, and the Rowe score showed excellent or good results in 77.3% of cases. Twenty-two patients (71%) were able to return to their preoperative sports level. Radiographic findings showed 9 cases with mild arthritis (29%) and 3 cases with moderate arthritis (10%). Conclusion: The recurrence rate deteriorated with time. Involvement in contact sports and overhead activities appears to be a risk factor for recurrence of instability, although this could not be proved statistically with the numbers available, whereas age, gender, and number of preoperative dislocations did not reveal any correlation with recurrence. Degenerative changes of the glenohumeral joint were noted but had no significant effect on the clinical outcomes.

22 August 2015 in Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
RGRaffaele Garofalo
Raffaele Garofalo
BFBrody Flanagin
Brody Flanagin
Alessandro CastagnaAlessandro Castagna
Alessandro Castagna
ELEddie Y Lo
Eddie Y Lo
SKSumant G Krishnan
Sumant G Krishnan
Complex proximal humeral fractures are very difficult to treat particularly in patients older than 65 years with an osteoporotic bone and tuberosities compromised. The goal of this paper is to evaluate radiological outcomes at mid-term follow-up of proximal humerus fractures treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty using a dedicated fracture stem. The study population included 98 patients who underwent reverse shoulder with a dedicated fracture stem for an acute proximal humerus fracture; 87/98 patients were available for analysis. There were 62 female and 25 male patients, and the mean age was 76.2 years at the time of surgery (range 61–90 years). Clinical and radiological outcomes were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 27 months after surgery. Average active elevation was 137.7°, external rotation 29.1°, and internal rotation 40.7°. Overall, the tuberosity healing rate was 75 %. There was a significant increase in active anterior elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation among patients who demonstrated radiographic evidence of tuberosity healing. All tuberosity nonunions (21 cases) occurred preferentially in females, but this number did not reach statistical significance. RSP using a dedicated stem is a very viable solution to treat complex humerus proximal fracture. Reliable restoration of elevation can be expected. However, in patients in whom tuberosity healing occurs, a better active elevation other than restoration of active rotational movement can be observed.

4 December 2008 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
Alessandro CastagnaAlessandro Castagna
Alessandro Castagna
GRGiacomo Delle Rose
Giacomo Delle Rose
MCMarco Conti
Marco Conti
SSStephen J. Snyder
Stephen J. Snyder
MBMario Borroni
Mario Borroni
RGRaffaele Garofalo
Raffaele Garofalo
Background: Transtendinous repair is a well-known technique for the arthroscopic management of partial rotator cuff tear. However, there are not a lot of clinical follow-up studies in the literature reporting data on this approach, and, moreover, potential factors responsible to influence the outcomes have not been investigated. Purpose: To evaluate clinical outcomes after arthroscopic transtendinous repair and to identify predictive factors of residual shoulder symptoms. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Fifty-four patients with a mean age of 56.7 ± 8.8 years (range, 31-71 years) who had undergone an arthroscopic transtendon repair for a painful articular-sided rotator cuff tear with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were contacted. Clinical outcomes using a patient-based questionnaire, the Constant score, University of California at Los Angeles score, Simple Shoulder Test, and visual analog scale were evaluated. The influence of patient age, presence or absence of a trauma responsible for the cuff tear, presence of associated shoulder lesions, millimeters of exposed footprint, and millimeters of torn tendon retraction on the outcomes were assessed. Results: The mean cuff tear exposure footprint was 5.2 mm, and the mean retraction of the torn part of the tendon was 8 mm. Only one patient reported dissatisfaction with surgery because of persistence of pain during overhead activities. After arthroscopic repair, University of California at Los Angeles, Constant, and Simple Shoulder Test scores were significantly improved from 14.1, 45.3, and 9.8 to 32.9, 90.6, and 0.8, respectively (P < .001). Twenty-two patients (41%) reported occasional shoulder discomfort at the extremes of range of motion (particularly at extremes of abduction and internal rotation) occurring during some daily living and sports activities. The best multivariate model showed that residual shoulder discomfort is strongly linked with a partial thickness supraspinatus tendon avulsion-type articular-sided rotator cuff lesion consisting of a large tendon retraction and/or a relatively small exposure footprint area in an older patient in the absence of a specific trauma (P < .001). Conclusion: Arthroscopic transtendon partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion-type rotator cuff repair was a reliable procedure that resulted in a good outcome in terms of pain relief and shoulder scores in 98% of the 54 patients. Better results could be expected in patients with less tendon retraction, a larger footprint exposure, of younger age, and with a clinical history of trauma.

20 October 2011 in Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
RGRaffaele Garofalo
Raffaele Garofalo
Alessandro CastagnaAlessandro Castagna
Alessandro Castagna
MBMario Borroni
Mario Borroni
SKSumant G. Krishnan
Sumant G. Krishnan

21 May 2013 in Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
Alessandro CastagnaAlessandro Castagna
Alessandro Castagna
MBMario Borroni
Mario Borroni
RGRaffaele Garofalo
Raffaele Garofalo
GRGiacomo Delle Rose
Giacomo Delle Rose
ECEugenio Cesari
Eugenio Cesari
SGStefano Gumina
Stefano Gumina

1 August 2018 in Shoulder & Elbow
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
ACAlessandro Castagna
Alessandro Castagna
RGRaffaele Garofalo
Raffaele Garofalo
Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSR) has been shown to generate good to excellent results for patients with osteoarthritis and a functioning rotator cuff. Many studies have reported that the glenoid component loosening and failure remain the most common long-term complication of total shoulder arthroplasty. The approach to glenoid component is critical because a surgeon should consider patient-specific anatomy, preserving bone stock and joint line restoration, for a good and durable shoulder function. Over the years, different glenoid design and materials have been tried in various configurations. These include cemented polyethylene, uncemented metal-backed and hybrid implants. Although advances in biomechanics, design and tribology have improved our understanding of the glenoid, the journey of the glenoid component in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty has not yet reached its final destination. This article attempts to describe the evolution of the glenoid component in anatomic TSR and current practice.