An effective nonabsorbable suture technique for distal clavicle fractures
Abdulkadir Polat1
, Fırat Fidan2
1Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gaziosmanpaşa Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye
2Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istanbul Aydın University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
Keywords: Coracoclavicular fixation, distal clavicle fracture, Neer IIB, nonabsorbable sutures.
Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiologic outcomes of unstable distal clavicle fractures in patients who underwent indirect fracture fixation by performing augmentation with nonabsorbable sutures.
Patients and methods: In this descriptive observational study, 16 patients (11 males, 5 females; mean age: 34.8±12.1 years; range, 18 to 67 years) who underwent indirect fracture fixation using nonabsorbable sutures for Neer type IIB distal clavicle fractures at the Gaziosmanpaşa Training and Research Hospital, Department of Orthopedic Surgery between January 2014 and September 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Constant-Murley score and Visual Analog Scale.
Results: Complete union was achieved in all patients, and mean union time was 45.3± 8.4 (range, 30 to 68) days. There were no patients with loss of reduction, infection, or requirement for additional surgery.
Conclusion: The coracoclavicular fixation method, which was applied using nonabsorbent sutures in a limited number of Neer type IIB clavicle fractures, provides a suitable and stable fixation comparable to classical techniques.
Citation: Polat A, Fidan F. An effective nonabsorbable suture technique for distal clavicle fractures. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2022;33(2):359-366.
Approval for the study was obtained from the Gaziosmanpaşa Training and Research Hospital Ethics Committee (date: 22/12/2022, no: 392). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
A written informed consent was obtained from each patient.
Data Sharing Statement:The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content and final approval of the version to be published: A.P.; Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content; and final approval of the version to be published: F.F.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.