Restoration of medial cortical support is the key to get acceptable outcomes and clinical results in complex proximal humeral fractures: a national survey among orthopedic trauma surgeons from Italy

BACKGROUND: Proximal humeral fractures are the third most common fracture pattern with a high incidence in elderly over 65 years old. There are several options of treatment but despite this there is no consensus in literature regarding the optimal treatment choice. METHODS: To provide some guidelines for the preoperative planning and for the treatment choice of this type of fractures and to analyze the importance of the restoration of medial cortical support, AO trauma Italy group developed a literature-based survey and submitted it to all of his Italian members. RESULTS: One hundred forty-three surgeons of varying experience answered questions and the results have been discussed during a webinar in which some clinical cases about criticalities of these fractures have been presented. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the survey reflected the trend in the current literature.