Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34789369›Full record

SynthesisDeutsches Arzteblatt international2021

Fifth Metatarsal Fracture–A Systematic Review of the Treatment of Fractures of the Base of the Fifth Metatarsal Bone.

Viktoria Herterich, Sebastian Felix Baumbach, Antonia Kaiser, Wolfgang Böcker, Hans Polzer

Open access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Outcome of avulsion fractures in the foot after supination trauma: A systematic review.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. The research progress and potential applications ofThe British journal of nutrition · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. The Incredible Odyssey of Jones.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2024
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Acute, isolated fractures of the metatarsal bones: an epidemiologic study.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Viktoria HerterichDepartment of Trauma Surgery, Munich University Hospital, LMU MunichDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA.
Sebastian Felix Baumbach
Antonia Kaiser
Wolfgang Böcker
Hans Polzer
Columbia University Irving Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMetatarsal fractures are among the most common foot and ankle injuries, with an annual incidence of 6.7 per 100 000 persons. Approximately 30% of metatarsal fractures affect the base of the fifth metatarsal bone. Nevertheless, no evidence-based treatment recommendations are available to date.

methodsThe three fracture localizations according to Lawrence and Botte (zone I, proximal to the intermetatarsal joint between the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones; zone II, in the area of the joint; zone III, at the distal end of the joint) are analyzed on the basis of a systematic literature search. Studies were included that compared the treatment of two types of fracture in the same manner, or that compared two different treatments for a single type of fracture.

resultsNine studies compared different treatments of zone I fractures. Two of these were randomized controlled trials (RCTs); in one RCT, patients given functional therapy returned to work much sooner than those treated with immobilization (11 vs. 28 days; p = 0.001), with otherwise similar outcomes. The non-randomized studies revealed a faster return to full function (33 vs. 46 days; p<0.05) with early functional therapy, and similar outcomes for immobilization and surgery. One RCT that compared functional therapy with immobilization for zone II fractures revealed no statistically significant difference. Five studies compared fractures in zones I and II that were treated in the same manner, revealing similar outcomes. One RCT compared surgery and immobilization for zone III fractures: surgery led to statistically significant improvement of the outcome in all of the measured parameters.

conclusionFractures in zones I and II should be treated with early functional therapy. There seems to be no reason to consider zone I and II fractures as two separate entities, as the outcomes in the two groups are similar. In contrast, fractures in zone III should primarily be treated surgically.

Indexed as

Ankle InjuriesFoot InjuriesFractures, BoneMetatarsal BonesFracture Fixation, InternalHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID34789369
PMCPMC8647295
OpenAlexW3185144894

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.