Late migration of threaded wire (schanz screw) from right distal clavicle to the cervical spine

J Chin Med Assoc. 2009 Jan;72(1):48-51. doi: 10.1016/S1726-4901(09)70021-8.

Abstract

We report a 49-year-old man who had undergone osteosynthesis to treat right distal clavicular fracture with a threaded wire (Schanz screw). The wire could not be removed due to its firm fixation within the bone. Eight years later, migration of the broken wire to the right 7th cervical vertebra punctured the lamina, with no spinal cord injury noted. The threaded wire was extracted from the C7 lamina emergently. No complication occurred after pin removal or during the 1-year postoperative follow-up.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Bone Wires / adverse effects*
  • Cervical Vertebrae / injuries*
  • Clavicle / injuries*
  • Foreign-Body Migration / complications*
  • Fracture Fixation, Internal / adverse effects*
  • Fractures, Bone / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged