Shaft of humerus fracture managed by anteromedial plating through anterolateral approach.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the use of anteromedial plating in the shaft of humerus fractures concerning the union of fracture and to assess the frequency of complications associated with this approach. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: United Medical and Dental College, Shaheed Muhatarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Lyari and Khairpur Medical College. Period: 15 January 2016 to 15 January 2019. Material & Methods: All the patients aged 18 years or over presenting with the shaft of humerus fracture were included in the study. The anterolateral approach was used to expose the fracture, and the plate was applied on the anteromedial surface of the humerus. Rodriguez Merchan criteria assessed the functional outcome. All the data was recorded on designated Performa and entered and analyzed by SPSS version 20. Results: Two hundred twenty-five patients of both sexes were included in the study. The mean age of the patients in the study was 38.06 ± 11.51. The mean union time of fracture in our study was 11.76 ± 2.72 weeks.  Functional outcome was assessed using Rodriguez Merchan criteria excellent functional outcome was achieved in 165(73.3%) of the cases and good functional outcome in 58 (25.8%) of cases. A fair outcome was achieved in 2 (0.9%) cases. Conclusion: Anteromedial plating is the viable option for treating shaft of humerus fractures as it is associated with a high union rate and low or no complications.