[Sternum fracture--description of this injury based on 100 patient follow-up studies and review of the literature].

One hundred patients with sternal fractures were investigated in order to demonstrate the incidence of complicating cardial, pulmonary and spinal injuries. Isolated sternal fracture was found in 73/100 patients. In the majority of cases (68/100) traffic accidents were causative; in 10% an accompanying injury of the spine was found. No patient presented electrocardiographic or clinical signs of myocardial contusion, so that no specific therapy or further investigations by myocardial scintigraphy, two-dimensional echocardiography or biventricular radionuclide angiocardiography was necessary. In our group of patients with isolated sternal fractures, no pathologic results were found on ECG examination or anteroposterior chest radiograph; in the absence of other significant injuries, hospital admission is not indicated.