The incidence of medial end clavicle fractures is higher than had previously been considered

Abstract

Background Previous X-ray epidemiological studies have estimated the incidence of medial end clavicle fractures to account for 2–3% of all clavicle fractures. Materials and methods At our institution X-rays of every patient attending the Emergency Department are reviewed at a Virtual Fracture Clinic by a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. Patients with a fracture are referred to the Shoulder and Elbow Fracture Clinic. Patients without a fracture are contacted and, if there are on-going concerns, are referred to the Shoulder and Elbow Fracture Clinic. Over an 18-month period we identified every patient that attended our Emergency Department that had sustained a clavicle fracture. Results In total 558 clavicle fractures were identified (139 (24.9%) – lateral, 360 (64.5%) – middle, 59 (10.6%) – medial). Of the 59 medial end fractures, 31 (52.5%) were identified on presentation at the Emergency Department, 13 (22%) at the Virtual Fracture Clinic, 6 (10.2%) on computed tomography scan at the Shoulder and Elbow Fracture Clinic and 9 (15.3%) were admitted directly to the trauma unit. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the incidence of medial end clavicle fractures in the general population is higher than had previously been considered. Level of evidence IV