Congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle: the role of CT-scanning.
Congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle is a rare entity. It presents on the right side in 90% of the patients, and bilaterally in up to 10%. The authors report the case of a 4-year-old boy who presented with a painful deformity over his right mid-clavicular area. Plain radiographs were inconclusive, although the opposite is true in most cases. A computed tomography (CT) 3-D reconstruction showed a pseudarthrosis of the clavicle, and excluded a neoplastic, infective or traumatic origin. Treatment involved excision of the pseudarthrosis, internal fixation with a contoured reconstruction locking plate, and bone grafting. The authors prefer operative treatment, but this is not universally accepted.
Sloan
Andrew
A
Department of Orthopaedics, Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Lancashire, United Kingdom. sloan1@lycos.co.uk
Paton
Robin
R
D002675:Child, Preschool; D002968:Clavicle; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D011542:Pseudarthrosis / Q000151:congenital* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed