Humeral shaft fractures treated by closed retrograde intramedullary kirschner wire fixation

Abstract

Context: Flexible intramedullary nails have been reported to provide a stable humeral fixation with satisfactory results in terms of union and complications. In this study, Kirschner wire (K-wire) was used to achieve a closed intramedullary fixation of humeral shaft fractures. Subjects and Methods: This study included forty cases of the displaced diaphyseal fracture of the humerus based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study was done at Kasturba Hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sevagram, between the periods January 2003 and November 2006. All the cases were operated after clinical evaluation. The final evaluation of the result was done by Qidwai's clinical and radiological criteria. Results: A total of forty cases were available for the study. K-wire of different sizes was used; the average duration of surgery was 45.3 ± 7.2 min. The average time taken for radiological union was 12.1 ± 1.9 weeks. The patients were analyzed by Qidwai's criteria and had excellent result in 30 (83.3%) cases, good in 4 (11.1%) cases, and poor in 2 (5.6%) cases. Three patients were lost to follow-up, and one patient was died due to medical illness. Conclusion: Intramedullary K-wire fixation is a satisfactory, safe, simple, minimally invasive technique and cost-effective treatment for humeral shaft fractures. It gives elastic mobility and stability.