Surgical treatment, hardware removal, and the wide-awake approach for metacarpal fractures

Shu Guo Xing; Jin Bo Tang

doi:10.1016/j.cps.2014.03.005

Surgical treatment, hardware removal, and the wide-awake approach for metacarpal fractures

Clin Plast Surg. 2014 Jul;41(3):463-80. doi: 10.1016/j.cps.2014.03.005.

Authors

Shu Guo Xing¹, Jin Bo Tang²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hand Surgery, The Hand Surgery Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 West Temple Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
² Department of Hand Surgery, The Hand Surgery Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 West Temple Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: jinbotang@yahoo.com.

PMID: 24996465
DOI: 10.1016/j.cps.2014.03.005

Abstract

Most fractures are managed nonoperatively. Those displaced unstable fractures require percutaneous fixation of single (or double) intramedullary Kirschner wires. Only large, oblique fractures must be fixed with screws or a plate. Indications for plating metacarpal fractures are limited in multiple unstable shaft or oblique fractures. After internal fixation, the patient actively moves the digits over a limited range under protection. This article reviews indications and techniques of surgical treatment, hardware removal, and the wide-awake approaches for surgery of these fractures.

Keywords: Hardware removal; Internal fixation; Metacarpal fracture; Wide-awake surgery.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Bone Wires*
Device Removal / methods*
Fracture Fixation, Internal / methods*
Fracture Healing
Fractures, Bone / surgery*
Hand Injuries / surgery*
Humans
Metacarpal Bones / injuries*