title: Surgical treatment of the boxer's fracture: transverse pinning versus intramedullary pinning.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the surgical treatment of fractures of the little finger metacarpal neck, or "Boxer's" fractures, by transverse pinning and intramedullary pinning. Thirty-six patients with fracture of the neck of the fifth metacarpal were included in a prospective comparative randomised study. A palmar splint was applied for 1 week after both procedures. Patients began physiotherapy three times per week for 30 days. The patients were evaluated clinically six times after surgery, up to the 90th day, with X-ray assessment on days 8, 45 and 90. The study showed that intramedullary pinning gave better functional outcomes than transverse pinning, although the former was more technically demanding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traumatology and Orthopaedic surgery, St Roch hospital, University Hospital of Nice, France. winter.m@chu-nice.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Balaguer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bessière
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carles
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lebreton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D001858:Bone Nails; D001914:Boxing / Q000293:injuries*; D020878:Device Removal; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000379:methods*; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050279:Metacarpal Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D012086:Reoperation