Clinical performance of a new medullary humeral nail: antegrade versus retrograde insertion.

Objective A new intramedullary nail system for humeral shaft fractures is evaluated to determine whether retrograde nailing is as reliable as antegrade nailing. Study design Prospective multicenter nonrandomized clinical study. Patients Eighty-four patients with acute humeral shaft fractures were nailed with the new unreamed humeral nail (UHN) system. Fifty-seven nails were introduced retrogradely, and twenty-seven antegradely. Bone healing and functional outcome were the follow-up parameters. Results The ratio of perioperative complications was equivalent for both groups, but one shaft fracture and three fractures or fissures at the entry point occurred in the group with retrograde nail in…