• Stefan Schulz-Drost, Andreas Mauerer, Sina Grupp, Friedrich F Hennig, and Matthias Blanke.
• Int Orthop. 2014 Jan 1;38(1):133-9.

PurposeOperative treatment of sternal fractures has become a matter of increasing interest. Anterior plating seems to be the most appropriate method for fixing sternal fractures. However, there are several concerns in relation to the operative procedure such as severe injuries to mediastinal organs, patient comfort and proper stabilisation, for example. This paper describes a safe method of anterior sternal plating using locked plate fixation with limited depth drilling.MethodsTen patients with sternal fractures were included in this cohort study and were treated by anterior plating using one or two plates in parallel through a median approach to the sternum. Follow up was performed after six weeks, 12 weeks and six months.ResultsFollow up revealed no serious complications. One patient suffered from postoperative wound seroma. No problems were caused by the plates.ConclusionsSternal plating using low profile locked titanium plates seems to be a safe and stable method with a high level of patient comfort.

33 keywords...

hide…