Retrograde locked nailing of humeral shaft fractures. A review of 39 patients

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Á Rommens PM. Verbruggen J. Broos PL. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery - British Volume. 77(1):84-9, 1995 Jan. We treated 39 patients with fractures of the humeral shaft by closed retrograde locked intramedullary nailing, using Russell-Taylor humeral nails. The mean healing time of all fractures was 13.7 weeks. After consolidation, shoulder function was excellent in 92.3% and elbow function excellent in 87.2%. Functional end-results were excellent in 84.6% of patients, moderate in 10.3% and bad in 5.1%. One patient had a postoperative radial nerve palsy, which recovered within three months. There was additional comminution at the fracture site in three patients (7.7%) which did not affect healing, and slight nail migration in two older patients (5.1%). Two patients (5.1%) needed a second procedure because of disturbed fracture healing. One screw breakage was seen in a patient with delayed union. Retrograde locked humeral nailing appears to * be a better solution for the stabilisation of fractures of the humeral shaft than anterograde nailing or plate and screw fixation. We found the Á complication rate to be acceptable and shoulder and elbow function to recover rapidly in most cases. *