Abstract
[Purpose] When nonunion of the surgical neck of the humerus develops in osteoporosis patients, it tends to cause cavitation to occur in the head of the humerus. In this study we assessed the tension band wiring that we performed to treat patients with a cavitation.
[Materials & Methods] The subjects were 5 patients, 1 man and 4 women, age range 62-76 years old. The procedure consisted of bone grafting followed by insertion of Kirschner wires (K-wires) at the sites of the tendon insertion in the tubercles and two tension band wirings were performed
[Results] Bone fusion was observed in every case. However, pain during movement and nocturnal pain due to subacromial impingement by the K-wire during aftercare were noted in two cases. The symptoms improved after the pins were removed. Shortening of the length of the humerus and limitation of range of motion were observed, but none of the patients experienced pain in their daily lives, and they all recovered to the point where they were able to return to their occupation or level of living before the injury.
[Conclusion] The method in which tension band wiring is performed more than once, using both K-wires and soft steel wires, can also be applied to patients with cavitation in bone fragments of the head of the humerus. However, the sites of insertion of the K-wires are restricted, and there are aspects that should be improved, including the possibility of causing subacromial impingement during aftercare.
