Analysis of Four-fragment Fractures of the Proximal Humerus: the Interest of 2D and 3D Imagery and Inter- and Intra-observer Reproducibility
Analysis of Four-fragment Fractures of the Proximal Humerus: the Interest of 2D and 3D Imagery and Inter- and Intra-observer Reproducibility
Fractures of the proximal humerus are increasingly frequent, with numbers tripling between the 1970s and the 2000s. Among these fractures, those involving the tuberosities and also the anatomic neck are a therapeutic challenge. For this type of fracture (Neer's four-part fracture) the degree of displacement of the fracture needs to be understood in order to provide suitable treatment and apprehend the risks in its evolution. There is indeed, in this type of fracture, a risk of humeral head ischaemia, which will carry considerable weight in the therapy adopted.
The usual classifications, such as the AO or the Neer classification, have shown their limitations in terms of reproducibility and are not suitable for the prognostic assessment of these four-fragment fractures of the proximal humerus. The radiographic parameters described by Hertel in 2004, on the other hand, seem to be far more relevant to routine clinical practice.
The use of the scanner to improve reproducibility of the classification of these proximal humerus fractures is still controversial. The scanner is the rule to guide therapeutic strategy for complex fractures, although the reproducibility of the different assessment criteria has never been studied.
The aims of the present study were firstly to analyse inter-observer and intra-observer reproducibility for the different criteria proposed by Hertel, using three types of imagery (standard radiographies, 2D and 3D scans) and secondly to assess the relevance of the use of the scanner to improve reproducibility
Inclusion Criteria: