Review highlights advantages and challenges of intramedullary nailing for proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients, indicating its viability as a treatment option.
Purpose To discuss the use of intramedullary nailing in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly. Method Review of the existing literature on intramedullary nailing of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly. Results Intramedullary nailing of proximal humeral fractures as minimal invasive technique has certain advantages in view of soft tissue damage, blood loss and operation time. On the other hand it might not be the ideal solution for more complex fracture types. Conclusion Intramedullary nailing of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly is a valid treatment option with some advantages compared to plating. However operative treatment of these fractures still has a large re-operation rate compared to non-operative treatment.
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Sigterman et al. (2025) studied this question.
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