Comparison of Intramedullary Screw Fixation, Plating, and K-Wires for Metacarpal Fracture Fixation: A Meta-Analysis. 2024

Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.

Metacarpal fractures are common injuries with multiple options for fixation. Our purpose was to compare outcomes in metacarpal fractures treated with intramedullary screw fixation (IMF), Kirschner wires (K-wires), or plating. A systematic literature review using the MEDLINE database was performed for studies investigating metacarpal fractures treated with IMF, plating, or K-wires. We identified 34 studies (9 IMF, 8 plating, 17 K-wires). A meta-analysis using both mixed and fixed effects models was performed. Outcome measures included mean Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores, total active motion (TAM), grip strength, time to radiographic healing, and rates of infection and reoperation. Patients with IMF had significantly lower DASH scores (0.6 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2-1.0]) compared with K-wires (7.4 [4.8-9.9]) and plating (9.8 [5.3-14.3]). Intramedullary screw fixation also had significantly lower rates of reoperation (4%, [2%-7%]), compared with K-wires (11% [7%-16%]) and plating (11% [0.07-0.17]). Grip strength was significantly higher in IMF (104.4% [97.0-111.8]) compared with K-wires (88.5%, [88.3-88.7]) and plating (90.3%, [85.4-95.2]). Mean odds ratio time was similar between IMF (21.0 minutes [10.4-31.6]) and K-wires (20.8 minutes [14.0-27.6]), but both were shorter compared with plating (52.6 minutes [33.1-72.1]). There were no statistically significant differences in time to radiographic healing, TAM, or rates of reoperation or infection. This meta-analysis compared the outcomes of metacarpal fixation with IMF, K-wires, or plating. Intramedullary screw fixation provided statistically significant lower DASH scores, higher grip strength, and lower rates of reoperation, suggesting that it is a comparable method of fixation to K-wires and plating for metacarpal fractures.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
February 2022, The Journal of hand surgery, European volume,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
April 2022, European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
August 2015, Orthopaedic surgery,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
January 2018, The Iowa orthopaedic journal,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
May 2022, European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
March 2023, The Journal of hand surgery,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
July 2020, The Journal of hand surgery, European volume,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
June 2020, Techniques in hand & upper extremity surgery,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
January 1996, Journal of biomedical materials research,
Cristina R DelPrete, and John Chao, and Bobby B Varghese, and Patricia Greenberg, and Hari Iyer, and Ajul Shah
March 2022, Hand (New York, N.Y.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!