Treatment of 1/3 midsharft humeral fracture using inflatable self-locking intramedullary nailing system

Objective To study the clinical efficacy of the inflatable self-locking intramedullary nailing in treatment of the middle 1/3 of humeral shaft fracture.Methods Expandable self-locking intramedullary nail was used for the treatment of middle 1/3 humeral fracture in 18 cases.Results 10 cases underwent closed reduction,and the operation time was 40~60 min,intraoperative blood loss was 40~150 ml;8 cases underwent open reduction surgery for 60~100 min,and intraoperative blood loss was 50~150 ml.18 patients were followed up for 3~5 years.18 patients got clinical bone healing in 12~18 weeks.Shoulder function according to the Neer score were excellent in 13 cases,good in 4,and fair in 1 case.There were no neurovascular injury,infection,fat embolism,no case of nonunion,fixation loose in 18 cases postoperatively.2 cases were found the needle point tenderness,and pain disappeared after removing the fixation.Conclusions Placement and removal of expandable self-locking intramedullary nail fixation in the treatment of middle 1/3 humeral shaft fracture are simple,and the fixation is stable with minimal trauma in surgery,and early upper limb rehabilitation training makes good limb function recovery with fewer complications.