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Fractures of the Proximal Humerus

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Management of Fractures in Severely Osteoporotic Bone

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Abstract

Fractures of the proximal humerus represent about 5% of all fractures of the human skeleton and correspond to approximately 45% of all fractures of the humerus. Together with femoral neck fractures, fractures of the spine and fractures of the distal radius, they mainly affect postmenopausal women suffering from osteoporosis. In this population, 75% of all fractures of the humerus concern its proximal end. They mostly occur after minor, low-energy trauma and present with varying degrees of diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties according to the exact type of fracture and patient. It is estimated that 80% of these fractures do well with conservative treatment but approximately 20% are sufficiently displaced and/or unstable that the natural history appears unacceptable and requires surgical correction for improvement of outcome.

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Authors
  1. P. Vienne
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  2. C. Gerber
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Surgery and Orthopaedics, Malmö University Hospital, S-205 02, Malmö, Sweden

    Karl Obrant (Professor of Orthopaedics, Head) (Professor of Orthopaedics, Head)

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© 2000 Springer-Verlag London

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Vienne, P., Gerber, C. (2000). Fractures of the Proximal Humerus. In: Obrant, K. (eds) Management of Fractures in Severely Osteoporotic Bone. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3825-9_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3825-9_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84996-855-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3825-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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