ArticleCase reports in orthopedics2026
Iatrogenic Metacarpal Shaft Fracture Following Distal Radius External Fixator Removal in Clinic.
Article in Case reports in orthopedics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Iatrogenic Metacarpal Shaft Fracture Following Distal Radius External Fixator Removal in Clinic.Case reports in orthopedics · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: External fixation remains an accepted option for certain unstable distal radius fractures, particularly when ligamentotaxis and percutaneous augmentation can restore and maintain alignment. Known complications include pin-tract infection, loss of reduction, nerve irritation, stiffness, and complex regional pain syndrome. Fracture through a metacarpal Schanz pin site during in-clinic removal has not, to our knowledge, been specifically described. Case Presentation: A 70-year-old right-hand-dominant female sustained a shortened, dorsally angulated, extra-articular fracture of the left distal radius after a fall from standing height. After persistent displacement following attempted closed reduction, operative options were discussed, including volar locked plating versus closed reduction with percutaneous pinning and wrist-spanning external fixation. The patient underwent closed reduction, percutaneous Kirschner-wire augmentation, and wrist-spanning external fixation using radial and second-metacarpal Schanz pins. At approximately 8 weeks, radiographs demonstrated distal radius healing and the patient elected in-clinic external fixator removal rather than removal in the operating room. During removal, the distal second-metacarpal 3.0-mm threaded/4.0-mm shaft Schanz pin was cut below the clamp with large pin cutters. The patient experienced immediate pain at the pin site, and postremoval radiographs demonstrated a nondisplaced second metacarpal shaft fracture through the distal pin tract. The fracture was treated nonoperatively and progressed to radiographic union. Conclusion: This case highlights a potentially preventable complication of external fixator removal from small-diameter long bones. When removing wrist-spanning external fixators, particularly in older patients or those with decreased bone quality, clinicians should consider disassembling the construct and removing metacarpal pins intact rather than cutting pins under constraint. When pin cutting is unavoidable, support of the pin-bone interface and avoidance of torsional or recoil forces may reduce fracture risk.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.