Risk factors analysis and risk prediction model establishment for heterotopic ossification after open reduction and internal fixation of distal humeral fractures: a retrospective cohort study

Description

Liu and colleagues built in 2026 a risk model for heterotopic ossification, unwanted bone growth in soft tissue, after surgery for fractures near the elbow. They studied 826 patients who had open reduction and internal fixation, surgery that resets the bone and holds it with plates or screws, at three top-grade hospitals. The outcome was bone growth appearing within six months of surgery.

Liu found nearly one in four patients developed the complication. Six factors raised the risk on their own. They were age 60 or older, high-energy injury, and a shattered fracture pattern. Wide soft tissue cutting during surgery, joint rest of four weeks or more, and infection after surgery completed the list. Their model sorted patients well in both internal checks and a later group from the same hospital. A chart version lets surgeons estimate each patient's risk at a glance, though wider testing is still needed.

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Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13463135