METACARPAL FRACTURES TREATMENT: COMPARASION BETWEEN KIRSCHNER WIRE AND INTRAMEDULLARY SCREW

Metacarpal fractures are common and can be treated surgically using Kirschner wires (K-wires) or intramedullary fixation with compression screws (IMCS).

Analyze the postsurgical results from treating the metacarpal extra-articular fractures through the retrograde Kirschner wire technique, and compare it with the intramedullary compression screw fixation. Methods: Retrospective and quantitative studies were to analyze patients' medical records, and a postsurgical evaluation questionnaire was given to the patients, who were divided into K-wire and IMCS.

The period of immobilization with a splint took six weeks for the K-wire group and four weeks for the IMCS group. The average time for consolidation took, respectively, fifty-seven days and forty-seven days. The first group could restart their activities twenty-two days after the other, and the average force value of the treated hand, when compared with its contralateral, was 93.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Between the operated hand and its contralateral, there was a difference of 16° in the total measures of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint's range of movement among the K-wire group and 5° among the IMCS group.

The patients who participated in this study showed excellent results after surgery, and both treatments were proven to be safe and reliable. .