THE INFLUENCE OF INTRAMEDULLARY FIXATION OF FIGURE-OF-8 WIRING FOR SURGICAL NECK FRACTURES OF THE PROXIMAL HUMERUS - A BIOMECHANICAL COMPARISON

The resistance to torsional load was measured in a human cadaver model of a surgical neck Fracture. Ten fresh-frozen human cadaver shoulders were thawed, dissected free of soft tissue attachments, and analyzed with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to establish bone mineral densit y. Osteotomies were Fixed with figure-of-eight wire alone and figure-o f-eight wire supplemented with intramedullary Enders rods. Intramedull ary Enders rods improved the mean maximum load by 1.5 times (p < 0.05) . No statistically significant correlation was found between mean maxi mum load and bone mineral density.