Objective:To compare closed reduction and intramedullary nailing versus open reduction and locking plate fixation in the treatment of middle and upper humeral fractures.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 62 patients with middle and upper humeral fracture who had been treated at Department of Orthopaedics, The First People's Hospital of Jinmen and at Department of Orthopedics, General Hospital of PLA Central Theater from October 2017 to February 2021. There were 35 males and 27 females, aged from 27 to 86 years. The left side was affected in 24 cases and the right side in 38 cases. All fractures were fresh. According to the AO classification, 16 cases were type A, 32 type B, and 14 type C. Of the patients, 29 were treated with closed reduction and intramedullary nailing (intramedullary nail group) and 33 with open reduction and locking plate fixation (locking plate group). The length of incision, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, fracture healing and complications were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. The pain degree was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) at one week and one month after operation, and the functional recovery of the shoulder was evaluated by Constant-Murley score at one month and 12 months after operation.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability ( P>0.05). The intramedullary nail group was followed up for 12 to 29 months and the locking plate group for 15 to 50 months. In the intramedullary nail group, the length of incision [(4.1±0.7) cm], operation time [(58.3±7.7) min], intraoperative blood loss [(52.7±6.5) mL], and hospital stay [(7.3±1.5) d] were significantly less than those in the locking plate group [(21.7±2.3) cm, (95.8±11.7) min, (237.4±14.9) ml, and (12.3±1.7) d] ( P<0.05). The fracture healing time in the intramedullary nail group was (5.0±1.9) months, significantly longer than that in the locking plate group [(3.5±1.7) months] ( P<0.05). The VAS scores at one week and one month after operation in the intramedullary nail group [(2.8±0.3) points and (1.2±0.5) points] were significantly lower than those in the locking plate group [(4.3±0.4) points and (1.6±0.5) points], and the Constant-Murley score at one month after operation in the intramedullary nail group [(63.5±7.4) points] was significantly higher than that in the locking plate group [(54.3±6.9) points] ( P<0.05). However, at 12 months after operation, there was no significant difference in the Constant-Murley score between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). In both groups, the VAS score at one month after operation was significantly lower than that at one week after operation while the Constant-Murley score at 12 months after operation was significantly higher than that at one week after operation ( P<0.05). In the intramedullary nail group, intraoperative distal refracture happened in one case; in the locking plate group, incision infection occurred in one case and postoperative radial nerve injury in another. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the 2 groups [3.4% (1/29) versus 6.1% (2/33)] ( P>0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of middle and upper humeral fractures, compared with open reduction and locking plate fixation, closed reduction and intramedullary nailing shows advantages of a smaller surgical incision, shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, shorter hospital stay and faster functional recovery.