Management and outcome of clavicle fracture at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Fractures of clavicle are known since ancient time, earliest description of fracture clavicle is found in Egyptian literature in 3550 BC. Hippocrates described fracture clavicle, as early as 400 BC and recorded that it is impossible to maintain reduction without surgical fixation, similar observation have been made by many surgeons in the years to follow. Selected patients were randomly divided in Group I and Group II. Patients of group I were treated by, closed/open reduction &internal fixation by TENS and Group II by open reduction & internal fixation by plate& screws. Patients were followed periodically at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months. Clinicians use various criteria to define a nonunion. Nonunion usually describes a fracture that has not adequately healed between stipulated 6 and 9 months after injury; delayed union, a fracture that has not healed after 3 to 6 months. However, some clinicians believe that a clavicular fracture is non-united if the fracture has not adequately healed within 4 months after injury. The constant scores were not significantly different between the two groups in the follow-up period and there was not much alteration after 1 year postoperatively. At final evaluation, the overall results using the constant score were 29 excellent, 2 good in the plate group; while in the TENS group it was 29 excellent, 1 good and 1 poor results.