Abstract
Traditionally, fractures of the proximal humerus are treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Generally, surgery is undertaken through a standard deltopectoral approach or through a deltoid-splitting approach to obtain anatomical reduction and to secure internal fixation. This method shows satisfying results as reported by several authors [16, 26, 29]. Park et al. reported excellent results in 80–90 % of the cases in a series of proximal humeral fractures including 13 greater tuberosity fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Flatow et al. evaluated a series of 12 isolated greater tuberosity fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation: they demonstrated six excellent and six good results at a 5-year follow-up. However, extensive dissection of the deltoid muscle for visualization of the fracture fragments may contribute to the morbidity of the deltoid muscle, to create a risk of injury to the axillary nerve or shoulder stiffness [21, 24, 25].
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Figures were kindly provided by Dr. Ingo Banke and PD Dr. Stephan Lorenz, Dpt. of sports orthopaedics, Munich.
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Vester, H., Lenich, A., Imhoff, A.B. (2015). Arthroscopic Options for Treatment of Proximal Humeral Fractures. In: Biberthaler, P., Kirchhoff, C., Waddell, J. (eds) Fractures of the Proximal Humerus. Strategies in Fracture Treatments. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20300-3_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20300-3_18
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