Table 4.

Complications and associated secondary surgical intervention by treatment group

	N*	All (N = 390)	N*	Operative (N = 245)	N*	Nonoperative (N = 145)	P value
Any complication	390	108 (27.7%)	245	58 (23.7%)	145	50 (34.5%)	0.026
Any surgical re-intervention	390	67 (17.2%)	245	30 (12.2%)	145	37 (25.5%)	0.001
Malalignment	390	14 (3.6%)	245	0 (0.0%)	145	14 (9.7%)	< 0.001
Osteosynthesis		11		N.A.		11	N.A.
Cuff pathology	390	3 (0.8%)	245	3 (1.2%)	145	0 (0.0%)	0.298
Superficial infection	390	6 (1.5%)	245	5 (2.0%)	145	1 (0.7%)	0.419
Deep infection	390	1 (0.3%)	245	1 (0.4%)	145	0 (0.0%)	1.000
Drainage and implant removal		1		1		N.A.	N.A.
Implant-related complication	390	26 (6.7%)	245	26 (10.6%)	145	0 (0.0%)	< 0.001
Nail protrusion		13		13		N.A.
Screw protrusion		8		8		N.A.
Screw cutout		2		2		N.A.
Inadequate implant size		1		1		N.A.
Inadequate implant type		1		1		N.A.
Chronic pain		1		1		N.A.
Implant exchange		3		3		N.A.	N.A.
Implant removal		16		16		N.A.	N.A.
Disproportional pain and disability	390	5 (1.3%)	245	0 (0.0%)	145	5 (3.4%)	0.007
Osteosynthesis		5		N.A		5	N.A.
Post-operative or persistent radial nerve apraxia	390	12 (3.3%)	245	9 (3.7%)	145	3 (2.1%)	N.A.
Osteosynthesis		1		0		1	N.A.
Osteosynthesis and nerve grafting		1		0		1	N.A.
Malunion	390	3 (0.8%)	245	0 (0.0%)	145	3 (2.1%)	0.051
Nonunion	302	49 (16.2%)	188	19 (10.1%)	114	30 (26.3%)	< 0.001
(Revision) osteosynthesis		30		10		20

P-values <0.05 are shown in boldface

Data are presented as number (%) or as median (P₂₅–P₇₅) and were analyzed using a Chi-squared test and Mann–Whitney U test, respectively

*N represents the number of patients for whom data were available per follow-up moment