SynthesisArchives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery2021
Radial nerve palsy associated with closed humeral shaft fractures: a systematic review of 1758 patients.
Synthesis in Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Surgical outcome of avulsion fractures of the distal fibula: a systematic literature review.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2023Pooled it
- Cost-Effectiveness of Surgery Versus Functional Bracing for Humeral Shaft Fractures in Adults: A Prespecified Economic Evaluation of the Finnish Shaft of the Humerus (FISH) Trial.The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume · 2026Trial
- Outcome of Radial Nerve Palsy in Closed Humeral Shaft Fractures Treated Operatively and Expectantly.Journal of hand surgery global online · 2026Article
- Radial Nerve Palsy Associated with Humeral Shaft Fractures: Incidence, Recovery Patterns, and Functional Outcomes in Surgically Treated Patients.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Observational
- Diaphyseal fractures of the humerus with radial nerve injury: how to manage both fracture and the nerve injury.Musculoskeletal surgery · 2026Review
- An Acta Orthopaedica educational article: Treatment of adult patients with a humeral shaft fracture.Acta orthopaedica · 2026Review
- Mapping Recovery: The RADAR Scale, Born From a Clinical Round.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025Article
- Intramedullary Nailing for Humeral Shaft Fractures: Functional Outcome Assessment Within a Cohort of 202 Patients.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Delayed iatrogenic radial nerve palsy after proximal humerus open reduction-internal fixation: a case report.JSES reviews, reports, and techniques · 2025Article
- [Conservative and operative treatment options for humeral shaft fractures].Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Incidence and outcomes of radial nerve palsy in distal third diaphyseal humerus fractures after surgical fixation.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025Article
- Radiolucent cerclage for humerus fractures: beware of radial nerve injury-a case report.Journal of surgical case reports · 2024Article
- Primary Radial Nerve Lesions in Humerus Shaft Fractures-Revision or Wait and See.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Enhanced nerve function recovery in radial nerve palsy patients with humerus shaft fracture: a randomized study of low-frequency pulse electrical stimulation combined with exercise therapy.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Modified medial minimally invasive double-plating osteosynthesis techniques for the treatment of distal third diaphyseal fracture of humerus.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Humerus shaft fractures, approaches and management.Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma · 2023Review
- Recovery and functional outcome after radial nerve palsy in adults with a humeral shaft fracture: a multicenter prospective case series.JSES international · 2023Article
- Compare the clinical value of two minimally invasive approaches to locating radial nerve in the posterior humeral approach.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Fractures of the humeral shaft caused by arm wrestling: a systematic review.JSES reviews, reports, and techniques · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeHumeral shaft fractures are often associated with radial nerve palsy (RNP) (8-16%). The primary aim of this systematic review was to assess the incidence of primary and secondary RNP in closed humeral shaft fractures. The secondary aim was to compare the recovery rate of primary RNP and the incidence of secondary RNP between operative and non-operative treatment.
methodsA systematic literature search was performed in 'Trip Database', 'Embase' and 'PubMed' to identify original studies reporting on RNP in closed humeral shaft fractures. The Coleman Methodology Score was used to grade the quality of the studies. The incidence and recovery of RNP, fracture characteristics and treatment characteristics were extracted. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare operative versus non-operative treatment.
resultsForty studies reporting on 1758 patients with closed humeral shaft fractures were included. The incidence of primary RNP was 10%. There was no difference in the recovery rate of primary RNP when comparing operative treatment with radial nerve exploration (98%) versus non-operative treatment (91%) (p = 0.29). The incidence of secondary RNP after operative and non-operative treatment was 4% and 0.4%, respectively (p < 0.01).
interpretationOne-in-ten patients with a closed humeral shaft fracture has an associated primary RNP, of which > 90% recovers without the need of (re-)intervention. No beneficial effect of early exploration on the recovery of primary RNP could be demonstrated when comparing patients managed non-operatively with those explored early. Patients managed operatively for closed humeral shaft fractures have a higher risk of developing secondary RNP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; Systematic Review.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.