Abstract
Although most distal phalangeal fractures can be treated conservatively, there
exists a subset of patients who are liable to develop symptomatic non-union,
manifesting as pain and/or instability, and who may benefit from early fracture
fixation. This group of patients includes those with displaced or comminuted
fractures of the shaft or neck and those with oblique fractures prone to
displacement. This paper reviews the use of a cortical miniscrew for fixation of
fracture non-union in these patients and shows that this is an effective
treatment modality with minimal morbidity. Fourteen patients with fractures of
the shaft or neck of the distal phalanx complicated by symptomatic non-union
were treated by open reduction and interfragmentary screw fixation. All of the
fractures united at a mean of 4.2 months and all patients regained normal
function of the finger.
