Systematic review of radial nerve palsy associated with humeral shaft fracture / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To review the clinical management of the radial nerve palsy (RNP) associated with humeral shaft fractures via systematically reviewing the published available articles, and develope an algorithm to guide management for RNP. Methods Using PubMed, Datastar and Cochrane Database, web based databases were searched for radial nerve palsy associated with humeral shaft fractures in the past 40 years, and manual searches of the bibliographic sections of electronically identified papers were done to identify further papers. Meticulous data extraction and meta-analysis was performed according to a preset protocol. Results In 391 citations initially identified, 35 papers, which included a total of 1045 RNP patients, met all eligibility criteria. The overall RNP incidence after humeral shaft fractures in 21 papers was 11.8% (532/4517). The incidence of RNP in middle 1/5 and middle-distal 1/5 of the humeral shaft fracture was significantly higher than that in other parts. Transverse and spiral fractures were more likely to sustain RNP than oblique and comminuted fracture patterns(P