Table II.
Patient demographics of the study and six week clinical findings.
| Parameter | Union (n = 94) | Nonunion (n = 18) | p-value | OR | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient demographic | |||||
| Mean age, yrs (95% CI) | 39.6 (35.9 to 43.3) | 50.6 (44.2 to 56.9) | 0.015* | N/A | N/A |
| Male, n (%) | 75 (79.8) | 11 (61.1) | 0.086† | 2.5 | 0.9 to 7.3 |
| Smoker, n (%) | 13 (13.8) | 8 (44.4) | 0.002† | 5 | 1.7 to 15.0 |
| Right side, n (%) | 42 (44.7) | 9 (50) | 0.706† | 0.8 | 0.3 to 2.3 |
| Dominant side, n (%) | 44 (46.8) | 10 (55.6) | 0.496† | 0.7 | 0.3 to 1.9 |
| Injury mechanism, n (%) | |||||
| High-energy | 14 (14.9) | 3 (16.7) | 0.848† | 1.1 | 0.3 to 4.5 |
| Fracture findings | |||||
| Comminution, Edinburgh 2B, n (%) | 25 (26.6) | 3 (16.7) | 0.373† | 0.5 | 0.1 to 2.1 |
| Mean fracture displacement, mm (95% confidence interval) | 23.0 (21.6 to 24.4) | 28.0 (24.6 to 31.3) | 0.006* | N/A | N/A |
| History, n (%) | |||||
| Night pain | 44 (46.8) | 15 (83.3) | 0.004† | 5.7 | 1.5 to 20.9 |
| Unable to dress normally | 14 (14.9) | 7 (38.9) | 0.017† | 3.6 | 1.2 to 11.0 |
| Sling still required | 7 (7.4) | 5 (27.8) | 0.011† | 4.8 | 1.3 to 17.3 |
| Have not returned to work | 26 (27.7) | 11 (61.1) | 0.006† | 4.1 | 1.4 to 11.7 |
| Have not returned to usual activities | 70 (74.5) | 15 (83.3) | 0.420† | 1.7 | 0.5 to 6.4 |
| Examination, n (%) | |||||
| Fracture site tenderness | 21 (22.3) | 11 (61.1) | 0.001† | 5.5 | 1.9 to 15.8 |
| Inability to reach hand to head | 5 (5.3) | 5 (27.8) | 0.002† | 6.8 | 1.7 to 26.9 |
| Inability to reach hand to head and elbow to back | 7 (7.4) | 4 (22.2) | 0.054† | 3.5 | 0.9 to 13.7 |
| Movement at fracture | 8 (8.5) | 5 (27.8) | 0.019† | 4.1 | 1.2 to 14.6 |
| Inability to abduct shoulder beyond 90° | 10 (10.6) | 9 (50) | < 0.001† | 8.4 | 2.7 to 26.1 |
| QuickDASH ≥ 40 | 22 (23.4) | 11 (61.1) | 0.001† | 5.1 | 1.8 to 14.9 |
| Patient outcome scores | |||||
| Mean QuickDASH (95% CI) | 27.2 (23.1 to 31.3) | 44.2 (32.9 to 55.5) | 0.002* | N/A | N/A |
| Mean EQ-5D (95% CI) | 0.74 (0.71 to 0.78) | 0.61 (0.46 to 0.76) | 0.020* | N/A | N/A |
| Radiograph, n (%) | |||||
| Callus 6-wk radiograph | 59 (62.8) | 6 (33.3) | 0.020† | 3.4 | 1.2 to 9.8 |
| Callus 12-wk radiograph | 92 (97.9) | 9 (50) | < 0.001† | 9.2 | 4.6 to 18.2 |
| Callus 24-wk radiograph | 94 (100) | 10 (55.6) | < 0.001† | 10.4 | 5.8 to 18.7 |
| Ultrasound, n (%) | |||||
| Sonographic briding callus 6 wks | 69 (73.4) | 1 (5.6) | < 0.001† | 46.9 | 5.9 to 371.1 |
| Sonographic briding callus 12 wks | 82 (87.2) | 1 (5.6) | < 0.001† | 116.2 | 14.1 to 954.2 |
| Sonographic briding callus 24 wks | 94 (100) | 1 (5.6) | < 0.001† | N/A | N/A |
*
Independent-samples t-test.
†
Chi-squared test.
CI, confidence interval; EQ-5D, EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire; N/A, not applicable; OR, odds ratio; QuickDASH, Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire.