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 Oct 2;7(1):12516.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-12771-z.

Three-screw versus two-screw fixation of distal fragment in fifth metacarpal neck fractures stabilized with locking plate

Hongyi Zhu  1 , Bingbo Bao  1 , Xianyou Zheng  2
Affiliations

Three-screw versus two-screw fixation of distal fragment in fifth metacarpal neck fractures stabilized with locking plate

Hongyi Zhu et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Fifth metacarpal neck fracture commonly requires open reduction and internal fixation. Locking plate was widely adopted in the treatment of fifth metacarpal neck fracture as first-line choice for fixation. Patients with fifth metacarpal neck fracture receiving locking plate fixation were included for analysis. Features of internal fixation including number of distal and proximal locking screws, diameter of the screws and usage of lag screws were recorded. Clinical and radiographic outcomes included final volar angulation, grip strength, Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) and range of motion (ROM) of fifth metacarpophalangeal joint. Three-screw fixation was less frequently presented in the group with increased volar angulation (≥30 degrees). Consistently, three-screw fixation of distal fragment could improve the prognosis compared with two-screw fixation (MHQ 95.4 ± 5.1 versus 80.4 ± 12.3, ROM 83.5 ± 7.2 versus 69.6 ± 7.7). In conclusion, the metacarpal head should be fixed by three locking screws instead of two locking screws.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A representative radiograph after locking plate fixation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Hunter JM, Cowen NJ. Fifth metacarpal fractures in a compensation clinic population. A report on one hundred and thirty-three cases. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1970;52:1159–65. doi: 10.2106/00004623-197052060-00008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ali A, Hamman J, Mass DP. The biomechanical effects of angulated boxer’s fractures. J Hand Surg Am. 1999;24:835–44. doi: 10.1053/jhsu.1999.0835. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Heo YM, Kim SB, Yi JW, Kim TG, Lim BG. Radiologic Changes by Early Motion in Neck Fractures of the Fifth Metacarpal Treated with Antegrade Intramedullary Fixation. J Hand Surg Asian Pac Vol. 2016;21:30–6. doi: 10.1142/S242483551650003X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Potenza V, Caterini R, De Maio F, Bisicchia S, Farsetti P. Fractures of the neck of the fifth metacarpal bone. Medium-term results in 28 cases treated by percutaneous transverse pinning. Injury. 2012;43:242–5. - PubMed
    1. Wong KP, Hay RA, Tay SC. Surgical outcomes of fifth metacarpal neck fractures–a comparative analysis of dorsal plating versus tension band wiring. Hand Surg. 2015;20:99–105. doi: 10.1142/S0218810415500148. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types