Purpose: Antegrade intramedullary nailing is an alternative for humeral shaft fracture treatment. This surgical technique can be especially demanding in some fracture patterns, leading to problems like malunion and non-union. The purpose of our study is to demonstrate that the use of a nail with cerclage wires could be a safe procedure that facilitate reduction, specially in fractures with abduction of the proximal fragment.
Materials and methods: Fifty-six patients were included, from January 2007 to March 2016. In this cohort forty-two patients were females and eighteen males; mean age was sixty-seven (32-89). The fractures were reduced using a cerclage wire through a small lateral or anterior approach, then, antegrade intramedullary nailing was performed. Fracture healing was established by clinical and radiographic evaluation. Shoulder function was assessed using the Constant Score.
Results: Fifty-three patients healed (94.6%) adequately. Two patients developed a non-union (3.5%). One patient developed an infection (1.8%). Transient radial nerve palsy was observed in two patients (3.5%). The mean Constant Score at the end of the study was 70 points (range from 34 to 98 points).
Conclusions: Surgical treatment of humeral shaft fractures with cerclage wire and intramedullary nailing is a safe technique to improve fracture reduction. The use of cerclage wires leads to better bone contact while minimizing malunions. The rate of non-union in our study is lower than the rate reported in the literature for humeral shaft fractures treated by intramedullary nailing alone.
Keywords: Cerclage wire; Fracture; Humeral shaft; Nailing; Non-union.
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