OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical results of the application of the PFO® bone fixation nut, which was developed for use with 4.5 mm cortical screws, analyzing any complications or bone reaction caused by its synthesis in porotic bone. METHOD: From May 1999 to November 2007, the PFO® nut was used on 23 patients submitted to osteosynthesis with a PFS 80® plate in the humerus proximal segment, for the treatment of acute fractures, pseudarthrosis, or defective consolidations. The average age of the patients was 69 years, and the average follow-up time was 40 months. RESULTS: Only one patient presented no complications. The complications observed were: two cases of medial cortical fracture; one case of loosening of the nut; three cases of bone reabsorption around the PFO®, but two of these without clinical repercussions; and one case in which the fracture failed to consolidate, with consequent loosening of the fracture. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that the use of the PFO® nut is a practical and effective alternative for osteosynthesis in patients with fractures of the proximal segment or complications of fracture of the humerus associated with bone fragility.
Humerus; Fractures; Osteoporosis; Aged; Fracture fixation, internal
