Surgical Treatment for Anterior Dislocation of Sternoclavicular Joint and/or the Fracture of Proximal Clavicle

Objective To study the clinical results of surgical treatment for anterior dislocation of sternoclavicular joint and/or the fracture of proximal clavicle with open reduction and internal fixation.Methods From January 2005 to June 2010,8 cases with anterior dislocation of sternoclavicular joint and/or the fracture of proximal clavicle were reduced.There were 5 males and 3 females,the age ranged from 18 to 47 years,with an average age of 30.5 years old.The time from injury to operation was from 6 hours to 10 days(averaged 3.5 days).All cases were fixed with re-establishing steel board.Results All 8 cases were followed up for 3 months to 18 months,on an average of 9 months.All the incisions healed well.The X-ray films showed that the reduction of joint dislocation and the fracture and the location of internal fixation were good.According to Rockwood scores of sternoclavicular joint for the evaluation of therapeutic effect,7 patients obtained an excellent result,and 1 good.No neurovascular injury,hemopneumothorax,internal fixation failure,redislocation,and other complications were observed in this study.Conclusion In the management of the sternoclavicular joint dislocation and/or the fracture of proximal clavicle,a stable sternoclavicular joint can be reconstructed by open reduction and internal fixation with re-establishing steel board.Besides,the patients can do functional exercises early and the shoulder joint function can be improved to the maximal degree.