title: Exposures of the shoulder and upper humerus.
abstract: Extensile and adequate exposures of the shoulder and upper humerus are important in trauma surgery. The standard deltopectoral approach can be extended distally to expose the whole humerus if necessary. Often, wide exposures of the upper humerus are necessary to reduce complex fractures and apply the plate on the lateral aspect of the humerus. A thorough knowledge of the anatomy as well as strategies of nerve mobilization is necessary for achieving adequate exposures in this area. This article details the many exposure methods for the shoulder, upper humerus, and their extensile extensions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, 2500 Metrohealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA. Electronic address: hhoyen@metrohealth.org.
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Papendrea Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin, S.C. 1111 Delafield Street, Suite 120, Waukesha, WI 53188, USA.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Papendrea
mesh_terms: D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D006811:Humerus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010027:Osteotomy; D012784:Shoulder Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology
keywords: Anterior exposure; Anterolateral exposure; Axillary nerve; Deltopectoral; Extensile Judet exposure; Posterior exposure; Radial nerve