English

Abstract

BACKGROUND This case series was conducted to evaluate the intraoperative and post-operative outcomes of fracture shaft of humerus managed by indirect reduction and minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) via anterior approach. METHODS In this case series 26 diaphyseal fractures of the humerus treated with MIPO, between June 2017 and February 2020 at a tertiary care hospital were included. All the patients were followed up for a minimum period of 2 years postoperatively. The objective was to evaluate these cases clinically for shoulder and elbow range of motion and document any complications. Other parameters such as duration of surgery and radiological time for fracture union were also documented. RESULTS The mean duration for surgery was 86.5 minutes. The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder scoring system rated 18 patients (69.2 %) as excellent outcome, 07 patients (26.9 %) as good outcome, and 1 patient (3.8 %) as fair outcome. The MAYO Elbow Performance Scoring system rated 20 patients (76.9 %) as excellent outcome and 06 patients (23.1 %) as good outcome. About 96 % of patients achieved fracture union by the end of 16 weeks post-operatively (mean 13.4 weeks). No complications related to infection, iatrogenic radial nerve injury or implant failure were noted in the study. 4 cases had varus angulation deformity but did not affect shoulder or elbow function. CONCLUSIONS MIPO is a safe and effective technique for the management of diaphyseal humerus fractures, with early fracture healing, less risk of complications such as infection and iatrogenic radial nerve injury, along with a cosmetically acceptable scar. KEYWORDS Fracture Fixation, Fracture Healing, Humeral Fractures, Radial Nerve, Shoulder