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Outcomes of proximal humeral fracture fixation with locked CFR-PEEK plating

  • Original Article • SHOULDER - TRAUMA
  • Published:
European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the outcomes of proximal humeral fracture (PHF) fixation with a novel carbon-fiber-reinforced (CFR)-PEEK plate and to compare results with outcomes after conventional locked titanium plating.

Methods

Twenty-one patients (7 male, 14 female) with operative treatment of unilateral displaced PHFs (mean age, 66.8 ± 9.9 years) with a novel CRF-PEEK plate were prospectively enrolled. Patients were followed up clinically (Constant Score, Simple Shoulder Test and Simple Shoulder Value) and radiologically 3 months postoperative and again clinically 12 months postoperative. Implant-related complications were evaluated after 3 and 12 months. Results at 1-year follow-up were compared with results of 21 patients (7 male, 14 female; mean age, 67.4 ± 9.7 years) with conventional titanium locked plating by matched case–control analysis.

Results

All functional outcomes improved after CFR-PEEK plating (p < 0.05). Twelve months postoperatively, the mean age- and gender-related Constant Score was 99.8 ± 21.2%. All fractures healed by the 3-month follow-up without evidence of secondary screw perforation, fragment displacement or loss of fixation. There were no significant differences between the functional outcomes of patients with the CF-PEEK plate and patients with locked titanium plating (p > 0.05). Patients with locked titanium plating were significantly more likely to require revision surgery related to articular screw perforations (p = 0.048).

Conclusions

Fracture fixation of displaced PHFs with a novel CFR-PEEK plate resulted in good to excellent 1-year functional outcomes which were similar to outcomes of conventional locked titanium plating. The stiffer locked titanium plating was associated with a higher risk of articular screw perforations than the more elastic CFR-PEEK plate.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dimitir S. Tahal for the proofreading and the language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, DIAKOVERE Friederikenstift gGmbH, Humboldtstr. 5, 30169, Hannover, Germany

    Jan Christoph Katthagen, Alexander Ellwein, Olga Lutz, Christine Voigt & Helmut Lill

  2. Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Münster, Albert-Schweizer-Str. 1, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Jan Christoph Katthagen

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  1. Jan Christoph Katthagen
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  2. Alexander Ellwein
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  3. Olga Lutz
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Correspondence to Jan Christoph Katthagen.

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Conflict of interest

HL has received honoraria from DePuy Synthes (Umkirch, Germany) and is consultant for Arthrex (Karlsfeld, Germany). The remaining authors declare that there was no conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was IRB approved.

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Katthagen, J.C., Ellwein, A., Lutz, O. et al. Outcomes of proximal humeral fracture fixation with locked CFR-PEEK plating. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 27, 351–358 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-016-1891-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-016-1891-7

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