Surgical outcomes of fifth metacarpal neck fractures--a comparative analysis of dorsal plating versus tension band wiring

Abstract

The purpose of our study is to retrospectively compare the use of tension band (TB) wiring and dorsal plating (DP) for the fixation of fifth metacarpal (MC) neck fractures. A retrospective study of patients who had surgical treatment of 5th MC fractures from 2009 to 2013 was performed. Data including patient demographics, mechanism of injury, pre and postoperative pain score, range of motion (ROM), duration of follow-up and whether implants were removed were documented. Three radiological parameters: angulation (in degrees), radial-ulnar displacement (in millimetres) and MC height ratio were measured. There were a total of 84 patients with isolated closed 5th MC neck fractures, of which 41 underwent DP and 43 underwent TB. Patients who underwent DP demonstrated better improvement in fracture angulation, radial-ulnar displacement, MC height ratio and final ROM compared to those who underwent TB. This study has shown that DP is a viable surgical treatment option for 5th MC neck fractures.

Keywords: 5th Metacarpal Neck Fracture; Boxer's Fracture; Dorsal Plating; Functional Outcome; Radiographic Outcome; Tension Band Wiring.