Fracture of the clavicle in the newborn following normal labor and delivery.

OBJECTIVE

Earlier works have associated neonatal clavicular fracture (0.2-3.5% of all deliveries) with a range of procedural, fetal and maternal risk factors; more recent studies, however, have failed to firmly identify any one or a combination of them. In the present work we sought to determine possible ante/intra-partum risk factors for this condition.

STUDY DESIGN

Using a retrospective case-controlled approach, we examined a series of maternal, fetal and pregnancy or delivery-related variables in 87 cases (out of 403) of fractured clavicle of the newborn diagnosed in our department from 1986 to 1994. All infants were delivered vaginally (in the occipito-anterior position) at term by a specialist obstetrician and underwent peripartum sonographic fetal weight estimation. All variables were compared with those of an equal number of infants born immediately before or after each affected infant and delivered by the same obstetrical team.

RESULTS

Fractured clavicles were found in 1.65% of the total number of deliveries during the study period. Neonatal clavicular fracture was significantly and directly related to the duration of the second stage of labor, peripartum sonographic fetal weight estimation, and neonatal length, and inversely related to maternal height; nevertheless, all values in both the study and control groups were within normal range. Logistic regression analysis showed that these antenatal variables significantly affect the chances of clavicular fracture, but due to the high false-positive rate they cannot serve clinically as a comprehensive antenatal prediction index.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of clavicular fractures occur in normal newborns following normal labor and delivery. The risk factors we identified statistically do not offer a method for clinical prenatal prediction. This work provides statistical evidence of the nature of this complication of early newborn life.