OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, through clinical outcomes, the efficacy and safety of the surgical technique called the "parachute technique" as applied to adult patients who suffered displaced and unstable fractures in two or three parts of the proximal humerus. METHODS: During the period from January 1995 to June 2006, 59 adult patients with two or three displaced and unstable fractures were operated by the Shoulder and Elbow Group of the Orthopedics and Traumatology Service of the Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo´s Hospital using the "parachute technique". This method consists of an internal bone tension band and a settling external bone in "8" joining the pieces of the fractures, using a 6.5-millimeter spongy screw with a partial thread, a washer and two nonabsorbable sutures, creating a stable synthesis with little aggression to the surrounding soft tissue , requiring no posterior material ressection. The final shape of this synthesis is reminiscent of the shape of an opened parachute. The patients had a minimum of 6 months follow-up post-operation. For diagnosis, trauma series radiographs of the shoulder were taken. The fractures were classified according to the system proposed by Neer. We used the scale of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in the evaluation of results. RESULTS: There were 47% good and 26% excellent results using the "parachute technique" according to the UCLA score. CONCLUSION: the "parachute technique" is a safe and effective treatment for two or three part displaced and unstable fractures of the proximal humerus.
Shoulder; Humeral fractures; Osteosynthesis
