# A Prospective Study of the Operative Treatment of Clavicular Fractures

## TL;DR

This study shows that surgically fixing broken collarbones with special plates leads to good recovery and few complications.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the effectiveness of pre-contoured locking plates for treating displaced clavicle fractures.

## Key findings

- Radiographic union occurred in 12.8 weeks on average.
- 80% of patients had excellent shoulder function after surgery.
- Only 6.7% of patients experienced complications.

## Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the functional and radiological outcomes associated with the operative management of displaced midshaft clavicular fractures using pre-contoured locking compression plates (LCPs), specifically in cases that met surgical indications such as fracture displacement, shortening, or comminution.

Methodology

In this prospective study, 30 adult patients with displaced midshaft or lateral clavicular fractures underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with pre-contoured LCPs at a tertiary care center. Patients were followed clinically for six months postoperatively. Functional outcomes were assessed using the Constant-Murley Score (CMS), and radiological union was evaluated through serial radiographs. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), and results were reported as mean ± standard deviation (SD).

Results

The mean age of the patients was 36.4 ± 10.2 years, with 21 patients (70%) being male. The mean time to radiographic union was 12.8 ± 2.3 weeks. At the final follow-up, the mean Constant-Murley Score (CMS) was 91.2 ± 6.4, with 24 patients (80%) demonstrating excellent shoulder function. Complications were limited to two patients (6.7%), while three patients (10%) experienced superficial infections or implant-related irritation. There were no observed cases of nonunion or implant failure.

Conclusions

Operative fixation of displaced clavicular fractures using pre-contoured LCPs provides stable fixation, facilitates early mobilization, and results in excellent functional recovery with minimal complications. Surgical management may be considered in active adults with displaced fractures to help optimize outcomes.