ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica 2013 April;64(2):137-45

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Treating complex distal humerus shaft fractures with dual-plate fixation

Zhang Q., Chen W., Wang S., Tang C. ✉

Department of Orthopedics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

Aim: Complex distal humeral shaft fractures usually require surgical intervention. In this study, dual plate fixation techniques for the treatment of complex distal humerus shaft fractures are presented.
Methods: The study group included 29 patients (aged 21-82 [mean age 37.7]) with type12B or 12C distal humerus shaft complex fractures and 10 patients with nonunion fractures. Treatment approaches included triceps-splitting and triceps-preserving for the various fractures. Dual plate, double-column fixation was employed after objective reduction. Specifically, 33 cases received double reconstructive plates while 6 patients received one reconstructive plate for one column. For this group of six, the other fracture was fixed with either a narrow compression plate (N.=2); a metaphyseal plate (N.=3) or an anatomical plate (N.=1).
Results: All fractures healed completely (average: 25.6 weeks) with 36 patients having excellent (N.=28) or good (N.=8) functional results and 3 patients had a poor result.
Conclusion: Dual plate fixation is an effective technique for achieving good bony union and long-term functional results in treating complex distal humeral shaft fracture.