Fracture dislocations of the proximal humerus treated with open reduction and internal fixation: a systematic review

The treatment of proximal humerus fracture dislocations can be challenging given the extensive injury to the proximal humeral anatomy and increased risk of devascularization of the humeral head often seen in these injuries. The purpose of this study is to undertake a systematic review of the literature on the functional outcomes, rate of revision, and short- and long-term complications for proximal humerus fracture dislocations treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF).

The PubMed and OVID Embase databases were queried for literature reporting on proximal humerus fracture dislocations treated with ORIF. Data including study design, patient demographics, functional outcomes, and complications were recorded.

Twelve studies including 294 patients with Neer type 2-, 3-, or 4-part proximal humerus fracture dislocations met the criteria for inclusion. The mean patient age was 53.4 years (19-89 years) with an average follow-up of 2.9 years (1.15-4.9 years). At the final follow-up, the mean Constant score was 73.2 (52-87.3) and the mean Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand score was 26.6 (17.5-32). Avascular necrosis was observed in 20.0% (0%-82.3%) and nonunion was observed in 3.0% (0%-7.7%) of patients. Conversion to arthroplasty was observed in 10.7% (5%-20%) and a total reoperation was observed in 35.6% (11.8%-89.1%) of patients in studies explicitly reporting these outcomes. In addition to conversion to arthroplasty, common causes of reoperation were revision ORIF (5.2%) and hardware removal (22.2%).

Patients undergoing ORIF for proximal humerus fracture dislocations have reasonable functional outcomes but relatively high avascular necrosis and reoperation rates. This information can be used to counsel patients and set expectations about the potential for further surgeries.