Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results obtained with intramedullary fixation in comparison with plate fixation for midshaft clavicular fractures.
We treated 19 patients (including two, who had undergone only removal of implants) between October 2007 and July 2013. The mean age at surgery was 44.0 years.
Eight patients were treated by intramedullary fixation, and eleven by plate fixation. The mean period until bone union and implant removal was shorter in the intramedullary fixation group than in the plate fixation group. No significant inter-group difference was detected in the mean ratio of clavicle shortening. There was one case of refracture after implant removal in the plate fixation group, and one case of clavicle shortening in the intramedullary fixation group. In conclusion, it is important to select the most appropriate treatment method according to the form of fracture.
