The most serious fractures of the proximal portion of the humerus is the four-part fracture- dislocation. The traditional approach is the arthroplasty of the proximal humerus. We describe a retrospective study of 20 patients submitted to partial arthroplasty of the shoulder for treating four-part fracture-dislocations of the proximal humerus. The mean postoperative follow-up time was 14 months. Patients were assessed for elevation, lateral and medial rotation. We divided the subjects into two groups: patients with higher elevation than the average (group 1) and with lower elevation than the average (group 2). The elevation average obtained for all patients was 107.5º. The mean age of Group 1 patients was 48.5 years. The mean age of Group 2 patients was 66.3 years (p=0.004). More favorable results were achieved for mobility in individuals in the age group of 50 years old. The mean elevation in group 1 subjects was 154.38° while, in group 2, it was 76.25° (p=0.0002). Mean lateral rotation on group 1 patients was 31° and, on group 2 patients, 9.6° (p=0.002). Mean medial rotation was at T10 level for group 1 patients, while this was at L4 level for group 2 subjects (p=0,003).
Shoulder joint; Arthroplasty; Fracture fixation, internal; Shoulder fractures
