Surgical approaches for open reduction and internal fixation of intra-articular distal humerus fractures in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: A number of surgical approaches have been described for open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of intra-articular distal humerus (IDH) fractures in adults. However, there is no consensus as to which approach is better in terms of functional outcomes and complications. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the functional outcomes and types and rates of complications are influenced by the choice of surgical approach for ORIF of IDH fractures (AO/OTA types 13 B & C). Methods: A systematic review of literature was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews databases. Studies, both prospective and retrospective and comparative or non-comparative, dealing with surgical approaches for ORIF of IDH fractures in adult patients were included. Conference abstracts, studies looking primarily at the results of internal fixation rather than the surgical approach, those including extra-articular distal humeral fractures, pediatric distal humeral fractures (< 18 years of age), delayed unions, non unions, malunions, cadaveric studies, pathological fractures and studies with < 10 patients were excluded. Studies that looked at surgical modalities other than internal fixation (for e.g. total elbow arthroplasty) for intra-articular distal humerus fractures or those that did not report a validated functional outcome scoring system were also excluded. Results: 11 studies were included in the qualitative analysis, of which 5 were comparative studies and 6 were non-comparative. Quantitative analysis was performed on two sets of two studies, each set comparing the Bryan and Morrey or the triceps-split approach to the olecranon osteotomy approach, and revealed no significant differences in the Mayo Elbow Performance Score, range of motion and rates of complications. The overall methodological quality of the studies included in the review was low. Conclusions: High-quality evidence on surgical approaches for ORIF of IDH fractures in adults is lacking. Evidence from low-quality studies indicates that there is no difference in the functional outcomes or complication rates when comparing the Bryan and Morrey or triceps-split to the olecranon osteotomy approach. Future research in the form of high-quality randomized controlled trials is needed to determine which approach is superior in terms of functional outcomes and complications. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.