Therapeutic effect of titanium locking plate combined with suture anchor repair in proximal humeral fractures

Objective: To explore the therapeutic effect of titanium locking plate combined with suture anchor (SA) repair in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures (PHF). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the clinical data of 113 patients with PHF admitted to Wuhan Fourth Hospital from March 2021 to October 2023. Among them, 55 patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation (OR/IF) using titanium locking plate (OR/IF group), and 58 patients underwent surgery with titanium locking plate combined with SA (SA group). Perioperative condition, treatment success rate, shoulder joint function before and after the surgery, shoulder joint range of motion, and incidence of complications were compared between the groups. Results: Surgery duration and the length of hospital stay of patients in the SA group were significantly shorter than those in the OR/IF group, and the intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the SA group than in the OR/IF group (P<0.05). In terms of treatment effect, the SA group was significantly higher than the OR/IF (P<0.05). After the surgery, muscle strength, pain levels, daily living activities, and shoulder joint range of motion scores of both groups improved, and the improvement was more significant in the SA group compared to the OR/IF group (P<0.05). After the surgery, the degrees of internal rotation, forward flexion, backward extension, and external rotation of the shoulder joints in both groups increased compared to pre- surgery levels, and were greater in the SA group compared to the OR/IF group (P<0.05). The incidence of complications in the SA group was lower than that in the OR/IF group (P<0.05). Conclusions: In patients with PHF, the combination of titanium locking plate and SA has a more significant therapeutic effect than that of titanium locking plate alone, which is associated with improved shoulder joint function and range of motion, and reduced incidence of complications.