[Minimal invasive osteosynthesis with cannulated screws in metacarpal fractures]

Metacarpal fractures comprise 18 to 44% of hand fractures. Fractures from the second to the fifth metacarpals are 88% of the metacarpal fractures and fractures of the fifth metacarpals are the most common. Fractures of the neck of the fifth metacarpal are about 20% of all the hand fractures. Most of these fractures can be treated conservatively with good functional results. However, for those neck and shaft unstable fractures that need surgical treatment, there is no gold standard for osteosynthesis. Recently, there have been reports of minimally invasive osteosynthesis using headless retrograde intramedullary cannulated screws with good functional results.

We report our short term experience treating nine fifth metacarpal neck fractures, one fourth metacarpal neck fracture and a transverse fifth metacarpal shaft fracture that did not fulfill criteria for conservative treatment. We treated them with minimally invasive osteosynthesis using retrograde intramedullary headless cannulated screws.

All patients showed radiographic healing and had full range of motion of the metacarpophalangeal joint at one month follow up except for one patient who suffered a dorsal mutilating hand injury along with a fifth metacarpal neck fracture. One patient had osteoporotic bone and we could not control height loss with screws, so we had to use k-wires.

Minimally invasive osteosynthesis with cannulated headless retrograde screws is a good option to treat neck and transverse diaphyseal fractures of the metacarpals. It confers a stable construct that allows early range of motion and return to activities.