Does Subacromial Osteolysis Affect Shoulder Function after Clavicle Hook Plating?

Purpose.To evaluate whether subacromial osteolysis, one of the major complications of the clavicle hook plate procedure, affects shoulder function.Methods.We had performed a retrospective study of 72 patients diagnosed with a Neer II lateral clavicle fracture or Degree-III acromioclavicular joint dislocation in our hospital from July 2012 to December 2013. All these patients had undergone surgery with clavicle hook plate and were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of subacromial osteolysis. By using the Constant-Murley at the first follow-up visit after plates removal, we evaluated patients’ shoulder function to judge if it has been affected by subacromial osteolysis.Results.We have analyzed clinical data for these 72 patients, which shows that there is no significant difference between group A (39 patients) and group B (33 patients) in age, gender, injury types or side, and shoulder function (the Constant-Murley scores are93.38±3.56versus94.24±3.60,P>0.05).Conclusion.The occurrence of subacromial osteolysis is not rare, and also it does not significantly affect shoulder function.

Locking or Non-locking Hook Plate in Treatment of Unstable Lateral Clavicle Fracture

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes and complications of locking or nonlocking clavicular hook plate for fixation of unstable lateral clavicle fractures. All patients with unstable Neer type II lateral clavicle fractures were operated in our hospital from January 2011 to December 2012. The included participants received either locking or nonlocking clavicular hook plate operations. Demographic data, medical records and radiographs were reviewed retrospectively. At the last follow-up, shoulder function was evaluated with Constant-Murley scoring system. Our findings suggest that locking clavicular hook plates are equally useful for treating unstable lateral clavicular fractures, but in face of complicated ones, the locking hook plate would not get more benefits than nonlocking hook plate.

Unusual Migration of Kirschner's Wire into Intervertebral Foramen after Lateral Clavicle Fracture Fixation: A Case Report

The migration of metallic devices such as Kirschner's wire (K-wire) from the shoulder is a well-recognized and significant complication of operation, the wire ending up in the lungs, the heart, the esophagus, the aorta or the subclavian artery. However, spinal migration is very rare. We report the case of a 72-year-old female patient with K-wire migration into the C7-T1 intervertebral foramen, 2 months after surgery for a lateral end fracture of left clavicle.