Data published in the Aug. 16 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery suggest that nonoperative treatment may be associated with increased risk of nonunion compared to open surgery and internal fixation (ORIF) for patients with displaced midshaft clavicle fractures. 

The authors conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of 301 adult patients treated with either ORIF (n = 154) or nonoperative management (n = 147). At 3-month follow-up, they found no significant difference in nonunion rate across cohorts. However, at 9-month follow-up, they noted a significantly higher nonunion rate among patients in the nonoperative cohort compared to the ORIF cohort (11 percent vs. <1 percent respectively). Learn more...