REVIEW   

Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica 2017 September;68(3):150-67

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-3410.17.03831-0

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Proximal humerus fractures: an update

Bradley SCHOCH ¹ ✉, Jean-David WERTHEL ², Matthew PATRICK ¹, Andre SPIGUEL ¹, Joseph KING ¹, Thomas WRIGHT ¹

¹ Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; ² Paris Shoulder Institute, Clinique Bizxet, Paris, France

Surgeons continue to debate the role of surgery in the treatment of acute proximal humerus fractures. Recently, reports have shown a trend towards increased utilization of operative fixation. Surgical options include: all suture fixation, closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, open reduction internal fixation with locked proximal humerus plates, proximal humerus nailing, Bilboquet implants, and arthroplasty. No single form of treatment has been shown to be superior to another. In some patients, there remains debate if surgical options are superior to non-operative management alone. The purpose of this article is to review the natural history of non-operative treatment of proximal humerus fractures, describe the most common surgical treatments, and discuss the sequelae of fractures treated nonoperatively.

KEY WORDS: Humeral fractures - Fracture fixation - Operative surgical procedures - Bone nails - Bone plates