Abstract
The majority of metacarpal fractures are closed injuries amenable to conservative
treatment with external immobilization and subsequent rehabilitation. Internal fixation
is favored for unstable fracture patterns and patients who require early motion. Percutaneous
pinning usually is successful for metacarpal neck fractures and comminuted head fractures.
Shaft and base fractures can be treated with pinning or open reduction and internal
fixation; the latter, being more rigid, allows early rehabilitation. External fixation
has a limited yet defined role for metacarpal fractures with complex soft-tissue injury
and/or segmental bone loss. The recent development of bioabsorbable implants holds
promise for skeletal rigidity with minimal soft-tissue morbidity, but long-term in
vivo data supporting the use of these implants is not currently available. Copyright
© 2002 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
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References
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Article info
Publication history
1531-0914/02/0204-0004$35.00/0
Identification
Copyright
© 2002 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
