Clavicular fractures in healthy term newborns

Birth injuries are a common cause of neonatal morbidity in otherwise healthy infants, with the incidence ranging from 0.2% to 37%. Clavicular fracture is the most common birth bony injury in neonate. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to determine the incidence of clavicular fracture at our maternity ward department during one year and present the perinatal circumstances in which we observed these injuries. During a one-year period (January 1 to December 31, 2010), we recorded 19 newborns with clavicular fracture at our maternity ward. Both maternal data and neonatal data were analyzed. The incidence of neonatal clavicular fracture in our study was 0.7%. Right side clavicle was more likely to be fractured than the left side one (61.2% vs. 36.8%). There was no statistically signifi cant sex diff erence in newborn birth weight (χ2=3.753; p>0.05). Only one newborn with a clavicular fracture was born by cesarean section, and the rest (94.7%) were born by vaginal delivery. Greenstick fracture was observed in two (10.5%) and complete fracture in 17 (89.5%) newborns. One child with a fracture of the clavicle also had a fracture of the scapula, and the rest of study newborns were free from other fractures or bone abnormalities. None of the children had associated Erb’s paralysis. All fractures healed without complications. In conclusion, the rate of clavicular fractures in newborns recorded at our maternity ward was at the borderline relative to the prevalence reported from previous studies, presenting a type of birth injury with good prognosis.

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