Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of locking plates for Neer 3- and 4-part proximal humerus fractures. Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 77 patients with 3- or 4-part proximal humerus fractures, who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of locking plates and were followed up more than 12 months between July 2008 and May 2011. There were 39 males and 38 females with an average age of 54.2 years (range, 18-81 years). Fractures were caused by falling in 47 cases, by traffic accident in 16 cases, by falling from height in 4 cases, by sporting in 5 cases, and by other reasons in 5 cases. The time between injury and operation was 2-16 days (mean, 4.5 days). According to Neer classification, there were 54 cases of 3-part fracture and 23 cases of 4-part fracture. The Constant scores, visual analogue score (VAS), and the complications were evaluated during follow-up. Results After operation, healing of incisions by first intention was obtained in 76 cases and healing by second intention in 1 case. All patients were followed up 12-36 months (mean, 18.5 months). At last follow-up, the Constant score was 71.1 ± 11.9; the results were excellent in 18 cases, good in 24 cases, fair in 25 cases, and poor in 10 cases with an excellent and good rate of 54.5%. The VAS score was 2.8 ± 2.2. Bone nonunion occurred in 2 cases; the other patients had bone union within 2-6 months (mean, 3.2 months). The complications occurred in 25 cases (32.5%). Revision surgery was performed in 15 patients (19.5%). Conclusion The treatment of Neer 3- and 4-part proximal humerus fractures remains challenging. Anatomic reduction, stable fixation, and reduced humeral head blood supply disruption may lead to a satisfactory outcome.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of limited open reduction via “door-shaft method” and internal fixation with locking plate for two- and three-part fractures of the proximal humerus.MethodsThe clinical data of 64 patients with proximal humeral fractures who were admitted between January 2013 and December 2016 and met the selection criteria were retrospectively analyzed. There were 23 males and 41 females, with an average age of 68.0 years (range, 50-89 years). The injuries were caused by falling in 57 cases, traffic accident in 5 cases, and falling from height in 2 cases. The interval between injury and operation was 1-7 days (mean, 2.1 days). According to Neer classification, there were 28 cases of two-part fractures and 36 cases of three-part fractures. According to the angulation direction of the proximal humeral neck shaft angle, there were 21 cases of adduction fractures and 43 cases of abduction fractures. The fractures were treated with limited open reduction via “door-shaft method” and proximal humerus internal locking systems for internal fixation. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of fluoroscopy, hospital stay, and complications were recorded. The fracture healing was reviewed by X-ray film and the healing time was recorded. The shoulder joint function was evaluated by Neer score standard.ResultsThe operation time was 45-127 minutes, with an average of 82.3 minutes. The intraoperative blood loss was 30-125 mL, with an average of 62.7 mL. Intraoperative fluoroscopy was performed 30-69 times, with an average of 37.0 times. The hospital stay was 6-23 days, with an average of 10.3 days. All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-37 months, with an average of 18.3 months. X-ray film re-examination showed that all fractures healed, the healing time was 12-21 weeks, with an average of 14.3 weeks. After operation, 3 cases had shoulder stiffness and 1 case had fracture malunion. At last follow-up, the Neer score of shoulder joint function was 49-97, with an average of 83.1. Among them, 38 cases were excellent, 13 cases were good, 10 cases were fair, and 3 cases were poor. The excellent and good rate was 79.7%. The excellent and good rate of patients with two-part fractures was 82.1% (23/28), and the excellent and good rate of patients with three-part fractures was 77.8% (28/36).ConclusionThe “door-shaft method” not only reduces the difficulty of the Joystick technique in the reduction of proximal humerus fractures, but also provides auxiliary stability. It is used for limited open reduction and internal fixation with locking plate to treat the two- and three-part fractures of the proximal humerus, which can achieve good effectiveness.
目的:回顾性研究人工肱骨头置换治疗复杂肱骨近端骨折患者的肩关节的情况,以进一步提高疗效。方法:对我院2004年至2007年27例肱骨近端骨折患者采用肱骨头置换术治疗,术中修复关节囊和肩袖,术后随访5~38月,评价其肩关节功能。结果:采用半关节成形改良评分系统SSMH综合评分,优:5例,良:17例,可:5例,优良率:815%。肩关节活动:平均前屈上举:96°,外旋:36°,内旋至L2水平。X片示假体无松动断裂,位置良好。结论:对于复杂的肱骨近端骨折,人工肱骨头置换是有效治疗手段,能够最大限度恢复期肩关节活动功能。
ObjectiveTo observe the influence of different humeral neck-shaft angle on the efficacy in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures with locking plate. MethodsA total of 106 patients with proximal humeral fractures were treated by locking plate between March 2009 and March 2013, and the clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Of 106 cases, 58 were male and 48 were female, aged from 26 to 71 years (mean, 52.3 years). The causes were traffic accident injury in 54 cases, falling injury from height in 23 cases, falling injury in 21 cases, and others in 8 cases. According to the Neer classification, there were 32 cases of two-part fractures, 65 cases of three-part fractures, and 9 cases of four-part fractures. The time from injury to operation was 1-7 days (mean, 2.7 days). According to neck-shaft angle by X-ray measurements at 1-3 days after operation, the patients were divided into 3 groups:valgus group (>145°), normal group (126-145°), and varus group (<126°) to observe the influence of neck-shaft angle on efficacy. ResultsAccording to postoperative humeral neck-shaft angle, there were 10 cases in valgus group, 75 cases in normal group, and 21 cases in varus group. There was no significant difference in general clinical data among 3 groups (P>0.05). The patients were followed up 6-12 months. The X-ray results showed fracture healing, and no significant difference was found in fracture healing time among 3 groups (P>0.05). After 6 months, the varus angle of femoral head and visual analogue scale (VAS) score of normal group were significantly lower than those of valgus group and varus group (P<0.05). The excellent and good rate of Constant-Murley score was 78.67% (59/75) in normal group, and it was significantly higher than that in valgus group (60.00%, 6/10) and varus group (42.86%, 9/21) (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between valgus group and varus group (P>0.05). The complication rate was 28.57% (6/21) in varus group, was 10.67% (8/75) in normal group, and was 20.00% (2/10) in valgus group, showing no significant difference among 3 groups (χ2=4.31, P=0.12). ConclusionReconstruction of normal neck-shaft angle is the key to good shoulder function and clinical efficacy in the treatment of proximal humeral fracture.
Open reduction and internal fixation with plate and screw is one of the most widely used surgical methods in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that it is very important to strengthen the medial column support of the proximal humerus during the surgery. At present, orthopedists often use bone graft, bone cement, medial support screw and medial support plate to strengthen the support of the medial column of the proximal humerus when applying open reduction and internal fixation with plate and screw to treat proximal humeral fractures. Therefore, the methods of strengthening medial column support for proximal humerus fractures and their effects on maintaining fracture reduction, reducing postoperative complications and improving functional activities of shoulder joints after operation are reviewed in this paper. It aims to provide a certain reference for the individualized selection of medial support methods according to the fracture situation in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures.
ObjectiveTo review the research progress on intra-articular screw penetration in proximal humeral fracture treated with locking plate. MethodsThe domestic and foreign literature about the proximal humeral fracture treated with locking plate was extensively reviewed. The incidence of screw penetration and risk factors were summarized from both primary and secondary screw penetrations, and the reasons of the intra-articular screw penetration and the technical solutions to avoid the penetration were analyzed. ResultsThe incidence of intra-articular screw penetration is about 11%-30%, which includes primary and secondary screw penetrations. The primary screw penetration is related to improper operation, inaccurate measurement, and “Steinmetz solid” effect, which results in inadequate fluoroscopy and blind zone. The secondary screw penetration is related to the loss of reduction and varus, collapse, and necrosis of the humeral head. The risk factors for intra-articular screw penetration include the bone mass density, the fracture type, the quality of fracture reduction, the applied location, number, and length of the plate and screws, and whether medial column buttress is restored. Improved fracture reduction, understanding the geometric distribution of screws, good intraoperative fluoroscopy, and reconstruction of medial column buttress stability are the key points for success. ConclusionThe risk of the intra-articular screw penetration in the proximal humeral fractures treated with locking plates is still high. Follow-up studies need to further clarify the cause and mechanism of screw penetration, and the risk factors that lead to screw penetration, in order to effectively prevent the occurrence of this complication.
Objective To evaluate the cl inical significance of minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPPO) appl ied in Neer II, III parts fractures of proximal humeraus. Methods The cl inical data were retrospectively analyzed, from 30 patients with Neer II, III parts fractures of proximal humeraus in accordance with selection criteria, who were treated with manual reduction and plaster external fixation (11 cases, non-operative group) or with MIPPO (19 cases, operative group) between January 2008 and May 2010. In non-operative group, there were 6 males and 5 females with an average age of 60 years (range, 56-80 years) and with an average time of 10 hours (range, 3-24 hours) between injury and reduction, including 8 cases of Neer II and 3 cases of Neer III. In operative group, there were 13 males and 6 females with anaverage age of 65 years (range, 45-78 years) and with an average time of 3 days (range, 1-5 days) between injury and operation, including 9 cases of Neer II and 10 cases of Neer III. There was no significant difference in gender, age, fracture type, and time from injury to operation (P gt; 0.05). The shoulder joint function before and after treatments was evaluated according to Constant-Murley Score (CMS) and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons’ Form (ASES) scoring systems. Results Thirty patients were followed up. In operative group, the follow-up time ranged from 11 to 18 months (mean, 12 months); all incisions healed by first intention with no compl ication of internal fixation failure, infection, or nerve injury. In non-operative group, the follow-up time ranged from 9 to 15 months (mean, 11 months). The X-ray films showed that fractures healed without humeral head necrosis in 2 groups. The bone heal ing time in operative group and non-operative group was (11.47 ± 2.48) weeks and (11.82 ± 2.44) weeks, respectively, showing no significant difference (t=0.369, P=0.889). The CMS score and ASES score at each time point after treatment were significantly better than those before treatment (P lt; 0.05); the CMS scores in operative group were better than those in non-operative group at 3 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year after treatment (P lt; 0.05); and the ASES score in operative group was better than that in non-operative group at 3 weeks and 3 months after treatment (P lt; 0.05), but no significant difference was found at 1 year after treatment (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion MIPPO fixation using the locking compression plate is an effective option for Neer II, III parts fractures of proximal humeraus. It can provide good functional recovery of the shoulder joint so that patients can get back to their normal l ife as soon as possible.
Objective To compare the efficacy and indication of the three different surgical methods in the treatment of the senile osteoporotic comminuted proximal humerus fracture. Methods From January 2006 to April 2008, 70 senile patients with osteoporotic comminuted proximal humerus fracture were randomly divided into three groups to receive different surgical methods. There were 21 patients in the group A receiving Kirschner tension band or screw internal fixation, 37 patients in group B receiving internal fixation of locking proximal humeral plate, and 12 patients in group C receiving humeral head replacement. There were 36 males and 34 females aged 53-76 years old (average 61.9 years old). All the fractureswere closed, osteoporotic, and III and IV-part according to Neer classification. The disease course was 1-8 days (average 2.8 days). There was no significant difference among three groups in terms of basel ine information (P gt; 0.05). The effective antiosteoporosis therapy was given during perioperative period. Results All the incision healed by first intention. All patients reached anatomical or almost anatomical reduction without compl ications such as postoperative infection, neurovascular injury, and nonunion of bone. Seventy patients were followed up for 9-20 months (average 11.5 months). The heal ing time of the fracture was 8-12 weeks in group A and group B, the average heal ing time was 10.5 weeks in group A and 10 weeks in group B, and there was no significant difference between two groups (P gt; 0.05). Group C presented with no sign of prosthesis loosening or shoulder dislocation. Six cases in group A suffered from frozen shoulder, pain or acromion impingement syndrome 6 months after operation and obtained various degrees of improvement via functional exercises. One of them had humeral head avascular necrosis 12 months later and achieved fair recovery after performing humeral head replacement. Two cases in group B had frozen and painful shoulder 6 months after operation and achieved fair recovery after functional exercises. One cases in group C had frozen shoulder and poor performance of abduction and upl ifting and achieved improvement after exercises. The rest patients achieved satisfactory curative effects. The incidence of compl ication was 28.6% in group A, 5.4% in group B, and 8.3% in group C. The incidence of complication in group A was significantly higher than that of group B and group C (P lt; 0.05), and there was no significant difference between group B and group C (P gt; 0.05). Neer scale system was adopted to evaluate the postoperative shoulder function, the excellent and good rate was 66.7% in group A, 78.4% in group B, and 83.3% in group C. The excellent and good rate in group A was significantly less than that of group B and group C (P lt; 0.05), and there was no significant difference between group B and group C (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion The senile osteoporotic comminuted proximal humerus fracture treated by surgery can obtain satisfied results. Most patients can use locking plate fixation. Those with poor general condition can use Kirschner wire fixation with tension band or screws, but this method is subject to certain constraints. For some elder patients with humeral head necrosis and humeral head crushed, priority should be given to the use of humeral head replacement.
Objective To compare the effectiveness and shoulder function of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) in the treatment of Neer three/four-part proximal humeral fractures in the elderly. Methods Randomized controlled analysis was conducted on 68 patients over 70 years old with Neer three/four-part proximal humeral fractures treated with RTSA or ORIF between January 2020 and June 2022. The patients were randomly divided into RTSA group (n=32) and ORIF group (n=36). There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the baseline data such as age, gender, body mass index, injured side, Neer classification, and preoperative Charlson comorbidity index, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Constant shoulder score, Oxford shoulder score (OSS), and hemoglobin (Hb). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, reduction of Hb on the 3rd day after operation, hospital stay, total cost of hospitalization, complication incidence, range of motion of shoulder joint at 2 years after operation, VAS score before operation and at 5 days and 1 month after operation, Constant shoulder score and OSS score before operation and at 2 years after operation, and imaging results during follow-up were recorded and compared between the two groups.ResultsCompared with the ORIF group, the RTSA group had longer operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, and higher total cost of hospitalization (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in Hb reduction on the 3rd day after operation between the two groups (P>0.05). The VAS scores significantly improved in both groups at 5 days and 1 month after operation (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). All patients were followed up 26-35 months, with an average of 31.2 months. In the RTSA group, there were 2 cases of poor healing of superficial incision and 1 case of transient nerve injury. There was no complication such as bone resorption around the prosthesis, lucent band, prosthesis loosening, or periprosthetic fracture in all patients. In the ORIF group, there was 1 case of poor healing of superficial incision, 3 cases of nonunion of fracture, 1 case of arthritis secondary to humeral head necrosis, and 1 case of bone absorption of large tuberosity, and no displacement or fracture failure of internal fixation was found in all patients. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications [9.4% (3/32) vs 16.7% (6/36)] between the two groups [OR (95%CI): 0.828 (0.171, 4.014), P=0.814]. In the RTSA group, 28 cases were graded 0 and 4 cases were graded 1 at 2 years after operation. Constant and OSS scores of RTSA group were significantly better than those of ORIF group (P<0.05). The Constant score was significantly better than ORIF group in activity and strength, range of motion, lifting, abduction, and external rotation (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in pain, daily function, and internal rotation between the two groups (P>0.05). The RTSA group had a significantly greater range of motion in lifting, abduction, and external rotation than ORIF group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in internal rotation between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionApplication of RTSA as the initial treatment of Neer three/four-part proximal humeral fractures in the elderly can achieve better rehabilitation of joint activity and lower risk of early reoperation, and improve the quality of life of elderly fracture patients. However, the difficulty of revision and the high cost of treatment require the surgeon to pay full attention and strictly grasp the indications.