Closed humeral shaft fractures: a prospective evaluation of surgical treatment.
OBJECTIVE
We tried to define the roles of the rigid dynamic compression plate (DCP) and the semi-rigid Ender nail (EN) in the treatment of closed humeral shaft fractures.


METHODS
A prospective, randomized clinical study was performed with detailed comparison parameters.


METHODS
Ninety-one closed humeral shaft fractures were treated. Randomly, 30 humeri were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with DCP and no bone grafting (BG), 29 were treated with the same procedure but with BG, and 32 were treated with closed reduction and internal fixation with Ender nails. The average follow-up period was 32 months (range, 13-54 months).


RESULTS
In the group with DCP without BG, the average blood loss was 270 mL, operation time was 92 minutes, hospital length of stay was 6.5 days, and union time was 12.5 weeks. In the group with DCP with BG, the average blood loss was 325 mL, operation time was 108 minutes, hospital length of stay was 6.9 days, and union time was 9.4 weeks. In the EN group, the average blood loss was 114 mL, operation time was 54 minutes, hospital length of stay was 5.6 days, and union time was 9.9 weeks. Analysis of variance and Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate the statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
In our experience, for humeral shaft fractures fixed surgically, EN is better than DCP without BG. When DCP is chosen for the means of fixation, prophylactic BG is recommended, especially in cases with more comminution.
Chiu
F Y
FY
Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, and the National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Chen
C M
CM
Lin
C F
CF
Lo
W H
WH
Huang
Y L
YL
Chen
T H
TH
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001858:Bone Nails / Q000592:standards*; D001860:Bone Plates / Q000592:standards*; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000592:standards*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008349:Manipulation, Orthopedic / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors