Percutaneous helical plate fixation in humeral shaft fractures with proximal extension

Humeral shaft fractures with extension to the proximal third are increasingly frequent and technically more demanding. Surgical management of proximal metaphyseal junction humeral fractures is challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the safety, reproducibility, and possibility of early and completed rehabilitation in the percutaneous treatment with helical plates in humeral shaft fractures with proximal extension.

This was a descriptive, retrospective, single-centre cohort study based on consecutive patients with proximal metaphyseal junction humeral fractures (MIPO-helical-plate-Broggi's cohort). Surgical technique (minimally invasive approach and osteosynthesis): percutaneous treatment with a twisted plate (helical plates).

i): Intraoperative and postoperative (up to 1 year after surgery) safety; ii) Reproducibility of the surgical technique [number (percentage) of patients with surgical technique success]. The surgical technique success was defined as the recovering without neurovascular, implant failures and infection issues after one year follow up; and iii) Early and completed (3 months) rehabilitation [number (percentage) of patients]. A descriptive analysis was performed.

Between April 2010 to January 2022, we received 443 humeral shaft fractures at our unit. Of these, 350 fractures were treated surgically. 157 (44.9%) were treated using the minimally invasive approach and osteosynthesis technique with extramedullary implants, of which 46 (46/157, 29.3%, 9 men and 37 women) were performed with almost orthogonally twisted Philos® helical plates. The median (range) age was 67 (51-94) years.

i) Safety: None intraoperative events were gathered. No neurovascular, implant failure and infection issues were reported one year after surgery.; ii) Reproducibility of the surgical technique: only 1 failure (2%, 95%CI:0-11%), who was reoperated; and iii) Early and 3 month of rehabilitation was completed in 45 (98%, 95%CI:89-100%) patients. Forty-five (98%, 95%CI:89-100%) patients recovered their previous function the year after surgery.

The treatment of humeral shaft fractures with proximal extension based on a minimally invasive approach and osteosynthesis: percutaneous treatment with a twisted plate (helical plates), as this is a submuscular and extraperiosteal technique, is a safe and reproducible technique, and promotes early rehabilitation. In our opinion, it is surgical technique whose main requirement is a good knowledge of topographic anatomy.