Surgical treatment of congenital pseudoarthrosis of the clavicle: Our 22-year, single-center experience.

OBJECTIVES

This study reports the surgical outcomes in a patient cohort with congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle (CPC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of nine pediatric patients (5 males, 4 females; mean age: 4.43 years; range, 2 to 12 years) who were diagnosed with CPC and treated surgically with a minimum one-year follow-up between January 1996 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the fixation method as the Kirschner wire (K-wire; Group A, n=2) or stabilization with a plate (Group B, n=7). The physical function and symptoms were evaluated using the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) scale.

RESULTS

The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 2.95 (range, 0 to 12) years. Six cases were atrophic pseudarthrosis and three cases were hypertrophic. Radiographic consolidation occurred in all cases with a mean duration of 103.8±39.1 days, indicating no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). Complications registered were a K-wire breakage in a patient in Group A and an internal fixation plate loosening in a patient in Group B. The mean postoperative follow-up was 2.98±1.82 years. The QuickDASH score was 0 points in all patients.

CONCLUSION

The early surgical indication based on refreshment of the pseudarthrosis focus, with bone autograft interposition when a failure exists to restore adequate clavicular length, and fixation are reliable alternatives with favorable clinical and radiological results in the mid- and long-term with fewer complications.