Similar Outcomes in Proximal Humerus Fractures Treated With Conventus Intramedullary Cage Device and Open Reduction...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Trauma surgery
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Proximal humerus fractures are common, often treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF).
• The Conventus intramedullary cage (CC) is an alternative fixation method for complex fractures.
• Comparing ORIF with and without CC is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical outcomes of ORIF with or without CC for OTA/AO 11B and 11C proximal humerus fractures.
• To evaluate complication rates, reoperation rates, and patient-reported outcome scores.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study at a Level 1 trauma center.
• Included 56 patients with OTA/AO 11B and 11C fractures treated with ORIF (n=33) or ORIF with CC (n=23).
• Minimum one-year follow-up, comparing complication and reoperation rates, ASES, and SF-12 scores.

Main Results:

• Mean follow-up was 5.0 years for ORIF and 5.3 years for CC.
• The CC group had a higher proportion of OTA/AO 11C fractures (65.2% vs 33%).
• No statistically significant differences in complication (24.2% vs 39.1%) or reoperation rates (18.2% vs 34.8%) were observed, though CC trended higher.
• ASES and SF-12 scores were similar between groups.

Conclusions:

• Conventus cage augmentation for proximal humerus fractures showed a trend toward higher complication and reoperation rates compared to standard ORIF.
• These differences did not reach statistical significance in this study population.
• Midterm patient-reported outcomes were similar, suggesting CC may not offer additional clinical benefit over ORIF.