Extract
Results after humeral head replacement for the treatment of acute proximal
humeral fractures have been mixed. The variability in the reported outcomes
reflects the technical factors related to the reconstruction, the timing of
the surgery, the nature of the patient population, and the different methods
of assessing the results. Hemiarthroplasty for the treatment of proximal
humeral fractures provides good-to-excellent pain relief in 73% to 97% of
patients1-5.
Patients are generally satisfied with the procedure, as reflected by the 70%
to 92% satisfaction rates in most
series1,4,6-10.
Functional outcomes, however, have been variable. One of the more commonly
utilized outcome instruments is the Constant score, which measures four
clinical parameters, including pain, range of motion, power, and activities of
daily living, on a 100-point scale. Using this system, some authors have
reported average scores as low as 38 points whereas others have reported
average scores as high as 68
points3-5,10-12.
Within each series, however, there has been a broad range of results, with
excellent outcomes in some patients and poor results in
others4,5,9,11,13,14.