Comparison of intramedullary nail and plate osteosynthesis in humerus surgical neck fracture.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to compare clinically and radiologically the plate osteosynthesis method and the in-tramedullary nail (IMN) method, which is currently used in the surgical treatment of surgical neck proximal humerus fractures (PHFs) in which there is no consensus METHODS: A total of 248 patients who underwent PHF between January 2013 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-two patients were included in the study. The results were clinically compared in terms of the amount of blood loss, operative time, and union time. Radiologically, it was compared in terms of intraoperative neck-shaft angle (NSA), final NSA, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), and Constant and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores. RESULTS: Two groups were formed: plate and IMN. The groups were similar in terms of age, sex, operation side, and follow-up time. There was no difference between the groups in terms of NSA, final NSA, ASES, Constant, and VAS scores. The amount of intraoper-ative blood loss, operative time, and union time was shorter in the IMN group. CONCLUSION: In surgical neck PHF surgery, plate and IMN are methods that show good clinical outcomes. According to this study, the advantages of the IMN method compared with plate osteosynthesis in Neer type II PHF treatment can be listed as less intraoper-ative blood loss, shorter operative time, and union time.

Are there any differences between the shoulder-arm sling and figure-of-eight bandage in the conservative treatment of paediatric clavicle fractures?

PURPOSE: Clavicle fractures are treated conservatively in the paediatric age group, except in rare types of fractures. We investigated whether there was a difference between using shoulder-arm sling and figure-of-eight bandage in this age group. METHODS: This study was designed as a retrospective study. In all, 41 children among 53 who underwent conservative treatment with a shoulder-arm sling or figure-of-eight bandage between 2014 and 2019 were included in the study and divided into two groups. Treatment results were compared clinically with respect to pain intensity, muscle strength and radiological examinations. RESULTS: Group A comprised 20 children with a figure-of-eight bandage and group B comprised 21 children with shoulder sling. According to the Robinson classification, ten fractures were displaced in group A and 12 in group B (p = 0.647). The mean time until the first appointment after the index visit that started the management course was 25.5 days (21 to 31) in group A and 24 days (20 to 30) in group B (p = 0.129). Fracture healing was observed in all patients at the first follow-up and the treatment was discontinued. There was no difference between the groups in the muscle strength examination and shoulder joint range of movement examination at the first-year follow-up (p = 1.00). CONCLUSION: In the paediatric age group, there was no significant difference between shoulder-arm sling and figure-of-eight bandage in the conservative treatment of clavicle fractures. Since the shoulder-arm sling is more suitable for treatment, it may be the primary preference. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III (retrospective comparative study).