Concomitant glenohumeral injuries in patients with distal clavicle fractures undergoing arthroscopic-assisted surgery: a systematic review

Background To determine the incidence of concomitant intra-articular glenohumeral injuries in patients undergoing surgical management from distal clavicle fractures (DCF) with shoulder arthroscopy and their impact on outcome. Methods This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, EMBASE, and Virtual Health Library databases were accessed in October 2021. All the clinical studies evaluating the surgical management of DCF and using concomitant intra-operatory shoulder arthroscopy were included. Studies that did not specify the concomitant injury type were not eligible. Data from the incidence of intra-articular glenohumeral injuries, injury type, length of the follow-up, and clinical outcomes were retrieved. The quantitative content assessment was performed using the STROBE statement checklist. Evaluation of the publication bias of the included studies was performed using the risk of bias assessment tool for systematic reviews. Results Data from five retrospective and five prospective cohort studies were analyzed. Eight of the included studies were conducted on patient cohorts with Neer type II injuries. Data pooling revealed a mean of 17.70% of concomitant glenohumeral injuries, whereas 84.21% of them required additional surgical management (Table 1). Rotator cuff injuries, labral tears, and biceps pulley lesions were the most common concomitant injuries. Conclusion Preoperative MRI or diagnostic arthroscopy to evaluate glenohumeral associated injuries to DCF should be recommended.

Pediatric Clavicle Fractures and Congenital Pseudarthrosis Unraveled

Clavicle fractures are commonly seen in the pediatric and adolescent populations. In contrast, congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle is rare. Although both conditions may present with similar signs and symptoms, especially in the very young, clear differences exist. Clavicle fractures are often caused by trauma and are tender on palpation, while pseudarthrosis often presents with a painless protuberance on the clavicle, which becomes more prominent as the child grows. Its presence may only become apparent after trauma, as it is usually asymptomatic. The diagnosis is confirmed on plain radiography, which shows typical features to distinguish both entities. Both clavicle fractures and congenital pseudarthrosis are generally treated conservatively with a high success rate. Operative treatment for a fracture can be indicated in the case of an open fracture, severely displaced fracture, floating shoulder, neurovascular complications or polytrauma. Congenital pseudarthrosis requires operative treatment if the patient experiences progressive pain, functional limitation and late-onset thoracic outlet symptoms, but most operations are performed due to esthetic complaints.

Comment to the Article by O.A. Kaplunov et al. “Hypotrophic Clavicle Pseudoarthrosis Treatment: A Case Report”

In the comment on the article Treatment of Hypotrophic Nonunion of the Clavicle: A Clinical Case, the reasons for the failure of primary and refixation of the clavicle closed fracture are analyzed in detail. A 70-year-old patient got a fracture of the middle third of the left clavicle diaphysis as a result of a fall. He underwent four surgical treatment options: plate osteosynthesis; plate osteosynthesis + bone autoplasty; plate osteosynthesis + vascularized fibular flap reconstruction; external osteosynthesis. A month after the fourth attempt of surgical treatment, fusion, improvement of the function of the right upper limb and the quality of life of the patient were achieved. Technological inaccuracy, namely, the lack of the fragments fixation stability due to the incorrectly chosen length of the plate, as well as an incomplete assessment of the anamnesis and the identified cognitive behavioral features of the patient, are considered as possible reasons for the treatment failure. The author of the comment highlights modern approaches to the treatment of clavicle fractures, and also briefly dwells on the theory of fracture fixation in general. He pays special attention to biological and mechanical factors affecting fractures healing. The author considers the compliance with the basic principles of osteosynthesis to be the main factor in achieving good results in fracture treatment.

Study of surgical outcome of mid third clavicle fractures surgically managed by locking compression plate

<p class="abstract">Clavicle is one of the most frequently fractured bones in young and active individuals. They account for 2.6-12% of all fractures and for 44-66% of fractures around the shoulder. Majority of clavicle fractures are mid shaft (80-85%). Functional outcome of midshaft fracture not only depends on the union but also on its length which has to be maintained. Thus a displaced or comminuted fracture carries a risk of symptomatic malunion, non-union or poor functional outcome with cosmetic deformity. The recent trend is shifting to internal fixation of these displaced mid shaft clavicle fracture. This was a prospective study of 20 cases of fresh mid third clavicle fracture admitted to MNR medical college and hospital from August 2020 to September 2021. Cases were taken according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Medically unsuitable and patients not willing for surgery were excluded from the study. There were 17 male patients and 3 female patients with mid 1/3 closed clavicle fracture. 12 patients had right sided clavicle fracture and 8 patients had fracture of the left clavicle. All 20 fractures were closed fractures. Majority of the patients sustained fracture due to road traffic accident (high energy trauma) in 16 cases, fall from height in 3 cases and assault in one case. The mean duration to surgery from the day of presentation and injury was 2.1 days for middle third clavicle fractures. Functional outcome as assessed by constant and Murley scoring was favourable with excellent to good result in 97% cases and fair in 3% cases. The average constant score was 93.35 in one year follow up in middle third group. This study has some limitations. The conclusions drawn from this analysis cannot be generalized because of the small number of cases. In conclusion, for middle third clavicle fractures bony union could be achieved with locking compression plates and the clinical outcomes were satisfactory. All the fractures united and there were no cases of nonunion.</p>