Comparison between fixation with Herbert screws and Kirschner wires in the treatment of scaphoid pseudoarthrosis

Ibrahim Tuncay, Ali Dogan, Suleyman Alpaslan

Abstract


Objectives: To compare the treatment results of patients with scaphoid pseudoarthrosis, who were treated by autogenous cancellous bone grafting followed by fixation with Herbert screws or Kirschner wires.
Methods: The study included 19 men (mean age 28 years, range 20 to 41 years) who were treated for scaphoid pseudoarthrosis and had a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Treatment was comprised of autogenous cancellous bone grafting and fixation with Herbert screws (n=10) or Kirschner wires (n=9). Fifteen right and four left hands were affected. The mean duration between the traumatic event and surgery was 20 months (range 3 to 72 months). Fractures were localized in the proximal pole (n=4, 21%), waist (n=13, 68%), and in the distal pole (n=2, 11%). The mean follow-up was 16 months for Herbert screws, and 21 months for Kirschner wires.
Results: None of the patients exhibited a loss in range of motion of 10° or more. The mean time to union was six months (range 3 to 20 months) with Herbert screws and eight months (range 4 to 22 months) with Kirschner wires. All patients had union with Kirschner wires, whereas non-union occurred in three patients with Herbert screws, two of whom had had proximal pole fractures. Radiologic outcome was significantly different between the two groups (p

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Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica. ISSN: 1017-995x