Outcome of clavicular fracture in 89 patients

Abstract

During 1982, 118 patients with clavicular fracture were treated in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Central Hospital. Eighty-nine patients appeared for the follow-up examination in 1984. Eighty-three fractures were treated with immobilization in a sling. Four fractures were treated with plate fixation primarily and two patients were operated on for delayed union. The immobilization averaged 21 days, range 10-42 days. The follow-up was 2 years in all cases. The result was good in 65 cases, satisfactory in 20, and poor in 4 cases. Patients with primary dislocation of more than 15 mm or with shortening observed at the follow-up examination had statistically significantly more pain than patients without these findings.

Outcomes of treatment of displaced midshaft clavicle fractures in adolescents using titanium elastic nails

“…This alters glenohumeral mobility and scapular rotation, leading to unsatisfactory results and loss of function. [15][16][17] It has also only recently come to the attention of clinicians and researchers using patient-based outcome measures, as opposed to surgeon-based or radiographic outcomes, that patient dissatisfaction with conservative management of these fractures is unacceptably high. 10,[18][19][20][21] The successful outcomes achieved from fixation of displaced clavicle fractures in adults have raised new questions regarding treatment in the adolescent population and led some orthopaedic surgeons to search for and refine indications for fixation of clavicle fractures in skeletally immature patients, particularly in highly functional and active adolescents.…”

Impact of Clavicular Shortening after Midclavicular Fracture: A Retrospective Series

“…Additionally, the clavicle serves as a stable muscle origin [20]. Although shoulder asymmetry after clavicular fractures is a complex three-dimensional problem, in symptomatic patients shortening of the medio-lateral length of the clavicle is frequently the most characteristic fi nding [5,6,10,11,21]; it is also sometimes present in asymptomatic patients. There is increasing evidence that patients can have substantial dissatisfaction following clavicular malunion because of symptoms including pain, weakness, and easy fatigability [4,5,10,11,22].…”

“…However, these studies comprised highly specifi c patient cohorts composed exclusively of patients who had undergone corrective osteotomy. Several studies have found inferior clinical outcomes in the presence of shortening of 1.5-2 cm after healing [10][11][12]24], whereas others have not demonstrated such a relationship [14,25,26].…”

“…An increasing number of studies have reported that such shortening deformity is associated with greater disability of the shoulder [10][11][12][13], whereas other studies have reported no such association [2,14,15].…”

Clavicle Fracture Open Reduction Internal Fixation: Results of Modern Technique

“…This traditional treatment is not without complications, including shortening, nonunion, deformity and unsatisfactory patient outcomes [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. More recently, modern operative treatment has demonstrated superior results [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”