title: Anatomical Study of the Clavicles in a Chinese Population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A reemergence of interest in clavicle anatomy was prompted because of the advocacy for operative treatment of midshaft clavicle fractures. Several anatomical studies of the clavicle have been performed in western population. However, there was no anatomical study of clavicle in Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  52 patients were included in the present study. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the clavicles were generated. The length of the clavicle, the widths and thicknesses of the clavicle, curvatures of the clavicle, the areas of the intramedullary canal, and sectional areas of the clavicle were measured. All the measurements were compared between genders and two sides.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean length of the clavicles was 144.2 ± 12.0 mm. Clavicles in males were longer, wider, and thicker than in females; also males have different curvatures in both planes compared with females. The men's intramedullary canals and sectional areas of the clavicle were larger than those of women. No significant difference between the sides was found for all the measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provided an anatomical data of the clavicle in a Chinese population. These clavicle dimensions can be applied to the modifications of the contemporary clavicle plate or a new development for the Chinese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Xu-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Bo
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002968:Clavicle / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013909:Thorax / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed