Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 May;12(3):236-241.
doi: 10.1177/1558944716658747. Epub 2016 Jul 7.

The Scaphoid Staple: A Systematic Review

John Dunn  1 , Nicholas Kusnezov  1 , Austin Fares  2 , Justin Mitchell  1 , Miguel Pirela-Cruz  3
Affiliations

The Scaphoid Staple: A Systematic Review

John Dunn et al. Hand (N Y). 2017 May.

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the indications, outcomes, and complications of scaphoid fixation with a staple.

Methods: The literature was reviewed for all cases of the scaphoid staple. Five articles including 188 patients, of 77 primary scaphoid fractures and 111 other indications that included delayed union, nonunion, and avascular necrosis, were reviewed. Demographic data, outcomes, and complications were recorded.

Results: The union rate of the scaphoid staple is 94.7%, and 95.7% of patients return to work after an average of 9.8 weeks after a 4.7-week period of immobilization. The complication rate was 9.0%, and 7.5% required hardware removal. Clinical and radiographic healing was higher in primary fractures as compared with other indications. Other indications, as compared with primary fracture, had a higher rate of hardware removal.

Conclusions: For all indications, the scaphoid staple has a high union rate and a low complication rate. In the authors' experience, the procedure is fast, not technically challenging, and may be considered for primary fracture, delayed union, nonunion, and avascular necrosis of the scaphoid.

Keywords: avascular necrosis; nonunion; scaphoid fracture; scaphoid staple.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Adams JE, Steinmann SP. Acute scaphoid fractures. Orthop Clin North Am. 2007;38(2):229-235. - PubMed
    1. Antti-Poika I, Korkala O, Bakalim G. Treatment of delayed union and non-union of the carpal scaphoid with a compression staple and cancellous bone grafting—new method and preliminary results. Ann Chir Gynaecol. 1987;76(5):266-268. - PubMed
    1. Arora R, Gschwentner M, Krappinger D, Lutz M, Blauth M, Gabl M. Fixation of nondisplaced scaphoid fractures: making treatment cost effective. Prospective controlled trial. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2007;127:39-46. - PubMed
    1. Barton NJ. Experience with scaphoid grafting. J Hand Surg Br. 1997;22B:153-160. - PubMed
    1. Bond CD, Shin AY, McBride MT, Dao KD. Percutaneous screw fixation or cast immobilization for nondisplaced scaphoid fractures. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2001;83A(4):483-488. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources