BACKGROUND Radial nerve palsy associated with fractures of the shaft of the humerus is the most common nerve lesion complicating fractures of long bones. However, the management of radial nerve injuries associated with humeral fractures is debatable. There was no consensus between observation and early exploration. METHODS AND FINDINGS The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controll...

OBJECTIVES To compare the risk of major complications after either minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) or intramedullary nailing (IMN) of humeral shaft fractures. DESIGN Retrospective, case-match controlled study. SETTING A major metropolitan tertiary referral trauma center in Australia. PATIENTS Thirty patients with fractures of the humeral shaft. INTERVENTION Either MIPO or...

The aim of the study was to examine the correlation between the chosen position of screws and the complications observed in patients who underwent locked plating of proximal humeral fractures. We evaluated radiographs of 367 patients treated by locked-plating for proximal humeral fractures. Radiographs were taken at one day, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after surgery, and were analyzed for se...

BACKGROUND Proximal humeral fractures are common in older patients. The majority are minimally displaced and are associated with good outcomes after nonoperative treatment. Poorer outcomes are associated with displaced, multipart fractures. There is no clear benefit from surgical fracture fixation compared to nonoperative treatment. Replacement of the fractured humeral head with a hemiarthropla...

OBJECTIVES The study aims to evaluate outcomes of autologous iliac bone impaction grafts (AIBIGs) with locking-compression plates (LCPs) in four-part proximal humeral fracture. METHODS Between October 2004 and October 2008, 21 AIBIG with LCP osteosyntheses were done for four-part proximal humeral fractures. Patients included seven males and 14 females. Their mean age at the time of the operat...

This updated meta-analysis investigated whether operative treatment is superior to nonoperative treatment in complex proximal humeral fractures. The authors searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and EMBASE. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated operative vs nonoperative treatment for exclusively 3- or 4-part proximal humeral fractures were considered. Six st...

The reverse shoulder prosthesis reverses the relationship between the scapular and humeral component, resulting in a mechanical advantage as the deltoid muscle is able to compensate for the rotator cuff deficiency. Based on this mechanical advantage, the reverse shoulder prosthesis has become an accepted alternative for the treatment of complex proximal humeral fractures. The purpose of this ar...

The optimal treatment approach for the initial management of radial nerve palsy associated with humeral shaft fractures has yet to be conclusively determined. The authors performed a systematic review of the literature to identify studies that compared the outcomes after initial nonoperative and operative management for radial nerve palsy associated with acute humeral shaft fractures. A meta-an...

A majority of proximal humeral fractures are preferably treated conservatively. However, surgical management may be beneficial in proximal humeral fractures with significant displacement or angulation. Unfortunately, the complication rates associated with current surgical procedures for fracture fixation, ORIF and IM devices, can be unacceptably high. A new technology, termed the PH Cage, addre...

The objective was to identify whether arthroplasty or conservative treatment is the best available treatment for three- and four-part proximal humeral fractures by analyzing the outcome measure of the Constant score. We conducted an electronic search. The systematic review included 33 studies encompassing 1096 patients with three- or four-part proximal humeral fractures that used the Constant s...