Fixation of proximal humerus fractures using the PHILOS plate: early experience

Abstract

Proximal humeral fractures, especially in elderly patients, remain a challenging problem for the surgeon because the complication rate for these fractures still remains high. The internal locked system (PHILOS) plate is a new device used for proximal humerus fracture fixation is designed to decrease the high complication rate. We prospectively evaluated our early experience using this system. Twenty patients with fractures of the proximal humerus were treated with a PHILOS plate from September 2001 to January 2004 at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, UK. Functional assessment was done using the Constant shoulder score. Two patients who had brachial plexus injury were evaluated only with the visual analogue score because we thought that the Constant objective assessment would be unreliable. Complications were monitored. The mean Constant score was found to be 76.1% (range, 30-100%). The preliminary results seem to be satisfactory. According to our experience, the plate design provides stable fixation with a good functional outcome and eliminates most hardware problems such as failure and impingement syndrome. The PHILOS plate is suitable for the majority of fractures providing that the correct surgical technique is used.

Level of evidence: Therapeutic study, level IV (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.