Fractures of the Humeral Shaft With Primary Radial Nerve Palsy

Adult fractures of the humeral shaft account for approximately 3% of all fractures; most can be treated nonoperatively. Due to the anatomy of the radial nerve and the entrapment between fragments in spiral fractures of the humerus, these injuries are associated with primary radial nerve palsy in up to 18%. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the influence of injury mechanism, fracture type, and type of surgical treatment on time to onset of nerve recovery and time to full nerve recovery in patients with humeral shaft fractures and concomitant primary radial nerve palsy. A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data for all patients treated with humeral shaft fracture and primary radial nerve palsy at an academic Level-I trauma center was performed. Between 1994 and 2013 a total of 615 patients with traumatic humeral shaft fractures were treated at the department. The dataset was examined for completeness and accuracy. Patients with an incomplete dataset, those with a pathologic or periprosthetic fracture, patients with non-surgical treatment, or who were younger than 18 years of age were excluded from this series. According to these criteria, a total of 50 patients with a humeral shaft fracture and primary radial nerve underwent surgical treatment