Minimally invasive treatment for severely displaced proximal humeral fractures in children using titanium elastic nails
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026
Treatment with Locking Intramedullary Nailing for Intertrochanteric Fracture of the Femur Utilizing a New Awl with a Distal Positioner
Published on: June 6, 2025
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. xiefeng701031@163.com
Objective:
To evaluate the preliminary results of minimally invasive treatment for severely displaced proximal humeral fractures in children using titanium elastic nails (TENs).
Methods:
Twenty-five cases of TEN treatment of severely displaced proximal humerus fractures in children were evaluated clinically and radiographically. Complications were assessed. The 14 males and 11 females were between 6 and 15 years of age at the time of surgery. Of the 10 left and 15 right humeri treated, 3 were open fractures and 2 were associated with polytrauma. Two laterally inserted retrograde TENs were used in 22 cases. In the remaining 3 cases, 1 medial and 1 lateral TEN were inserted retrograde.
Results:
Follow-up ranged from 7 to 40 months. All fractures showed both clinical and radiographic evidence of healing within 2 months. There were no major complications related to the treatment. There were 3 cases of skin irritation adjacent to prominent distal ends of the nails, of which the 2 nails in 1 child were removed prematurely at 3 weeks without sequelae. The nails in the other 2 cases were removed at the planned 6-month postoperative time with complete resolution of symptoms. Function of the fractured arm returned to normal quickly in all cases.
Conclusions:
TEN for the treatment of severely displaced humerus fractures in children is an effective method with a low complication rate.
