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Review
. 2016 Jun;9(2):199-206.
doi: 10.1007/s12178-016-9341-z.

Distal humerus fractures: a review of current therapy concepts

Steinitz Amir #  1 , Sailer Jannis #  1 , Rikli Daniel  1
Affiliations
Review

Distal humerus fractures: a review of current therapy concepts

Steinitz Amir et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Fractures of the distal humerus in the adult comprise approximately one third of all humeral fractures. Successful management of distal humerus fractures depends on correct reduction of the fracture, reconstruction of the articular surface if needed, stability and rigidity of the fixation, and appropriate rehabilitation. In this review, we evaluated the available literature and highlighted current therapy concepts. We assessed the evolution of internal fixation and elbow arthroplasty focusing on the established surgical approaches against the background of a growing incidence of distal humeral fractures in an aging patient population. Therefore evaluating the aspect and influence of age-dependent comorbidities like osteoporosis on successful treatment.

Keywords: Distal humerus fracture; Elbow arthroplasty; Osteoporosis; Parallel plating; Surgical approaches.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
ORIF distal humerus, parallel plating
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
ORIF distal humerus, perpendicular plating. Both figures reprinted with permission from: SJ Shin et al. [52]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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