Is removal of clavicle plate after fracture union necessary?
Janey Wang1, Ramiah Chidambaram, Daniel Mok
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, Shoulder Unit, Epsom General Hospital, Surrey, UK.
Purpose:
To review whether clavicle plates should be removed after union of the fracture.
Materials And Methods:
48 patients with middle third clavicle fractures treated by plating were assessed with UCLA shoulder rating and Oxford shoulder scores.
Results:
At an average follow up of 13 months,96% of 27 patients with plates out recommended its removal. 86% of 21 patients with plates in were happy to keep them.
Conclusions:
We recommend leaving clavicle plates in unless requested by the patient.
Level Of Evidence:
IV-retrospective study.
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