Bilateral Proximal Humerus Fracture - a Rare Combination with a High Complication Rate after Surgery

Bilateral acute proximal humerus fractures are rare. There are no data available about these bilateral injuries. The aim of the study was to analyse bilateral proximal humerus fractures retrospectively in terms of incidence, complications and revisions.

All bilateral proximal humerus fractures were evaluated retrospectively using the institution's database, with the focus on cause of the injury, fracture severity and the clinical course compared to published information on monolateral proximal humerus fractures. Bilateral posterior dislocation fractures were excluded, because these fractures are a separate entity.

Between 2005 and 2016, n = 17 patients were primarily treated within our hospital for an acute proximal humerus fracture on both sides (n = 12 female, n = 5 male, average age: 68 years; overall 34 proximal humerus fractures). The general trauma mechanism was a fall on both arms (82% [18% polytrauma]). There were 65% displaced 3-/4-part proximal humerus fractures. Angle-stable plate osteosynthesis was performed predominantly (64%), followed by fracture prosthesis (18%; tension wiring: 3%; non-operatively: 15%). Overall, n = 10 patients (59%) or n = 18 (53%) proximal humerus fractures developed a complication, primarily with loss of reduction or implant loosening (44%). In n = 14 (78%) of the complications further operations were necessary. Alcohol abuse was increasingly found in 29% of the cases within the bilateral patient cohort compared to patients with monolateral fractures.

Bilateral proximal humerus fractures are mainly associated with comminuted displaced fractures and a higher complication rate in comparison to monolateral fractures after surgical treatment.