Abstract
Most patients with pathological fractures due to cancer metastasis have a limited life expectancy. Orthopaedic procedures, therefore, should be minimally invasive in order to avoid additional surgical morbidity. The purpose of this study was to analyse the results of minimally invasive approaches, including locked intramedullary nailing, followed by early postoperative radiation for pathological humeral shaft fractures. Twenty-four pathological fractures of the humerus diaphysis in 23 patients were treated with the prospective protocol, including antegrade unreamed intramedullary nailing and postoperative radiotherapy (20 Gy and five fractions). The patients and results of the surgery were evaluated by the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society upper extremity scoring system. All patients had a stable extremity, and the average function of 20 patients was 64% of the normal upper extremity function. Only one patient required revision surgery. The minimally invasive treatment of patients with pathological fractures of the humeral shaft with closed unreamed intramedullary nailing combined with adjuvant radiotherapy is an effective and safe procedure, even in seriously ill patients.
Résumé
Un grand nombre de patients avec des fractures pathologiques secondaires à des métastases ont une espérance de vie diminuée. Les traitements orthopédiques avec technique mini-invasive permettent de diminuer la morbidité chirurgicale. Le propos de cette étude est d’analyser les résultats d’une technique avec voie d’abord mini-invasive pour enclouage centro-médullaire verouillé suivi d’une irradiation post-opératoire pour des tumeurs de la diaphyse humérale. 24 fractures pathologiques de la diaphyse humérale sur 23 patients ont été traitées de façon prospective, le protocole incluant un clou centro-médullaire mis sans alésage par voie antérograde et une radiothérapie de 20 Gy en 5 séances. Les patients et les résultats de la chirurgie ont été évalués grâce au score de la Société des tumeurs musculo squelettiques. Tous les patients sont parfaitement stables avec une amélioration globale fonctionnelle chez 20% des patients, une fonction de l’extrémité supérieure normale dans 64%. Un seul patient a nécessité une reprise chirurgicale. La voie d’abord mini-invasive chez ces patients présentant des fractures pathologiques de la diaphyse humérale traités par enclouage centro-médullaire sans alésage combiné à une radiothérapie adjuvante est un traitement qui permet d’avoir des résultats certains avec une bonne sécurité même chez des patients gravement atteints.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atesok K, Liebergall M, Sucher E, Temper M, Mosheiff R, Peyser A (2007) Treatment of pathological humeral shaft fractures with unreamed humeral nail. Ann Surg Oncol 14:1493–1498
Bauer HCF, Wedin R (1995) Survival after surgery for spinal and extremity metastases. Prognostication in 241 patients. Acta Orthop Scand 66:143–146
Choong PFM (2003) Cardiopulmonary complications of intramedullary fixation of long bone metastases. Clin Orthop Relat Res 415:S245–S253
Clayer MT, Tang X (2007) Low risk of cardiac events during intramedullary instrumentation of lung cancer metastases. Acta Orthop Scand 78(4):547–550
Coleman RE (2006) Clinical features of metastatic bone disease and risk of skeletal morbidity. Clin Cancer Res 12:6243–6249
Damron TA, Sim TH, Shives TC, An KN, Rock MG, Pritchard DJ (1996) Intercalary spacers in the treatment of segmentally destructive diaphyseal humeral lesions in disseminated malignancies. Clin Orthop Relat Res 324:233–243
Dijkstra PDS, Wiggers T, van Geel AN, Boxma H (1994) Impending and actual pathological fractures in patients with bone metastases of the long bones. A retrospective study of 233 surgically treated fractures. Eur J Surg 160:535–542
Enneking WF, Dunham W, Gebhardt MC, Malawar M, Pritchard DJ (1993) A system for the functional evaluation of reconstructive procedures after surgical treatment of tumors of the musculoskeletal system. Clin Orthop Relat Res 286:241–246
Flemming JE, Beals RK (1986) Pathologic fracture of the humerus. Clin Orthop Relat Res 203:258–260
Frassica DA (2003) General principles of external beam radiation therapy for skeletal metastases. Clin Orthop Relat Res 415:S158–S164
Frassica FJ, Frassica DA (2003) Evaluation and treatment of metastases to the humerus. Clin Orthop Relat Res 415:S212–S218
Hunt KJ, Gollogly S, Randall RL (2006) Surgical fixation of pathologic fractures: an evaluation of evolving treatment methods. Bull Hosp Jt Dis 63:77–82
Jacofsky DJ, Papagelopoulos PJ, Sim FH (2003) Advances and challenges in the surgical treatment of metastatic bone disease. Clin Orthop Relat Res 415:S14–S18
Johnson JA, Berkshire A, Leighton RK, Gross M, Chess DG, Petrie D (1995) Some basic biomechanical characteristics of medullary pressure generation during reaming of the femur. Injury 26:451–454
Katagiri H, Takahashi M, Wakai K, Sugiura H, Kataoka T, Nakanishi K (2005) Prognostic factors and a scoring system for patients with skeletal metastasis. J Bone Joint Surg Br 87:698–703
Lin J, Hou SM (1999) Antegrade locked nailing for humeral shaft fractures. Clin Orthop Relat Res 365:201–210
Lin PP, Mirza AN, Lewis VO, Cannon CP, Tu SM, Tannir NM, Yasko AW (2007) Patient survival after surgery for osseous metastases from renal cell carcinoma. J Bone Joint Surg Am 89:1794–1801
Noger M, Berli MC, Fasel JHD, Hoffmeyer PJ (2007) The risk of injury to neurovascular structures from distal locking screws of the unreamed humeral nail (UHN): a cadaveric study. Injury 38:954–957
Perez CA, Bradfield JS, Morgan HC (1972) Management of pathologic fractures. Cancer 29:684–693
Price P, Hoskin PJ, Easton D, Austin D, Palmer SG, Yarnold JR (1986) Prospective randomised trial of single and multifraction radiotherapy schedules in the treatment of painful bony metastases. Radiother Oncol 6:247–255
Prince EJ, Breien KM, Fehringer EV, Mormino MA (2004) The relationship of proximal locking screws to the axillary nerve during antegrade humeral nail insertion of four commercially available implants. J Orthop Trauma 18:585–588
Redmond BJ, Biermann JS, Blasier RB (1996) Interlocking intramedullary nailing of pathological fractures of the shaft of the humerus. J Bone Joint Surg Am 78:891–896
Ward EF, White JL (1989) Interlocked intramedullary nailing of the humerus. Orthopedics 12:135–138
Wedin R, Bauer HCF, Wersäll P (1999) Failures after operation for skeletal metastatic lesions of long bones. Clin Orthop Relat Res 358:128–139
Yazawa Y, Frassica FJ, Chao EYS, Pritchard DJ, Sim FH, Shives TC (1990) Metastatic bone disease. A study of the surgical treatment of 166 pathologic humeral and femoral fractures. Clin Orthop Relat Res 251:213–219
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ofluoglu, O., Erol, B., Ozgen, Z. et al. Minimally invasive treatment of pathological fractures of the humeral shaft. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 33, 707–712 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-008-0540-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-008-0540-0