Diaphyseal fractures of the humerus. Treatment with prefabricated braces.
Using a prefabricated brace, we treated 233 patients who had a fracture of the humeral shaft. One hundred and seventy patients were available for follow-up, which ranged from five weeks to forty-eight months. In these patients (forty-three open and 127 closed fractures), the average time to union was 10.6 weeks; the average varus-valgus angulation, 5 degrees; the average anterior-posterior angulation, 3 degrees; and the average shortening, as measured radiographically, four millimeters. All but three of the patients had an excellent or a good functional result with a nearly full range of motion of the extremity. There were a minimum of complications, including three non-unions. Because of the low morbidity and high rate of success, we concluded that the treatment of choice for diaphyseal fractures of the humerus is the prefabricated brace.
Zagorski
J B
JB
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, Florida.
Latta
L L
LL
Zych
G A
GA
Finnieston
A R
AR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D001915:Braces; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005596:Fractures, Closed / Q000628:therapy; D005597:Fractures, Open / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D013997:Time Factors