Four-screw compression plate fixation for diaphyseal humerus fractures

Abstract

While many humeral shaft fractures can be successfully treated with nonoperative management, compression plating techniques using at least three or four screws on either side of the fracture are the current gold standard. We hypothesized that a less rigid construct using compression with only two screws on either side of the fracture can provide adequate strength for uneventful fracture union.

This is a retrospective review of all the patients who underwent open reduction and compression plate fixation for acute diaphyseal humerus fractures (ADHFs) at an academic Level-1 urban trauma center between 2018 and 2023. Patients treated with compression plating using only two screws and three or four plate-holes on either side of the fracture (Group 1) were matched one-to-one with patients treated using the conventional number of screws (three or more on either side of the fracture – Group 2). The incidence of nonunion/malunion, infection, and implant failure was compared among the two groups.
There were eleven matched patients in both groups. The nonunion, infection complications, and hardware failure rates were 0% and 9.1% for the control group (Group 2) and four-screw group (Group 1) respectively. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 1.00).

Although convention dictates the use of six or more bicortical screws (at least three bicortical screws on each side of the fracture), four-screw bicortical fixation may be a feasible option for ADHFs treated with large fragment compression plating techniques.