title: Rupture of the pectoralis major muscle.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Total or near-total rupture of the pectoralis major muscle is a rare injury. Fewer than 200 cases have been reported in literature, many of them in single case reports. There is discrepancy regarding whether this kind of injury should be treated operatively.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Early surgical treatment is necessary to obtain optimal functional recovery following total or near-total ruptures of the pectoralis major muscle.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case series of 33 operatively treated pectoralis major ruptures combined with a meta-analysis of the previously published cases in the English literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors have retrospectively analyzed 33 operatively treated cases of total or near-total ruptures of the pectoralis major muscle. They have also analyzed the previously published cases and the final outcomes of their treatment. The difference in outcome between groups of acute operation, delayed operation, and conservative treatment in both their own material and meta-analysis was statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the case series and the analysis of the cases from the literature showed that early operative treatment is associated with better outcome than delayed treatment. The delayed operation was associated with better outcome than the conservative treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early surgical treatment by anatomic repair gives the best results in the treatment of total and near-total ruptures of the pectoralis major muscle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Turku University Hospital, Finland. vilaari@utu.fi
authors.forename: Ville
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aärimaa
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rantanen
authors.forename: Jouni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heikkilä
authors.forename: Ilmo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Helttula
authors.forename: Sakari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orava
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012421:Rupture / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome