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Fractures and Non-Unions of the Clavicle

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European Instructional Lectures

Fractures of the clavicle are common, accounting for 3–5% of all fractures in adults, most often caused by a simple fall on the outstretched hand or a direct impact on the shoulder. They usually affect active and healthy people during sports activities (bicycle, ski, ball-sports) or road traffi c accidents: these demanding patients are asking for a quick and full recovery. Until now treatment was usually conservative for mid-clavicle fractures (“they all heal and do fine”) whilst surgical treatment was usually preferred for lateral-end fractures. However, many papers in the last decade pointed out long-term defi cits following conservative treatment for clavicle fractures, leading more Surgeons to propose surgical treatment to their patients. So this article will present the recent literature concerning the non-operative treatment of clavicle fractures, the various methods of surgical fi xation and the treatment of mal-unions and non-unions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Hospitalier Saint Joseph — Saint Luc 20, quai Claude Bernard, 69365, Lyon, France

    Patrick Simon

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  1. Patrick Simon
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA 7 4LP, UK

    George Bentley

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Simon, P. (2009). Fractures and Non-Unions of the Clavicle. In: Bentley, G. (eds) European Instructional Lectures. European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00966-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00966-2_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-00965-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-00966-2

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