Operative treatment of clavicle fractures in children: a review of 21 years.

Between 1980 and 2000, 15 children (14 boys and 1 girl) underwent surgical treatment of a fractured clavicle at the authors' hospital. Eight patients were treated for midshaft fracture, two had medial fractures, and five had fractures to the lateral end, one of which occurred in combination with true disruption of the acromioclavicular joint. The indications for operative treatment of clavicle fractures are rare, in some cases debatable, and surgery is usually necessary only in older children. If surgically treated, the results are satisfactory without major complications. In the authors' experience intramedullary stabilization with elastic nails is the method of choice in most cases.