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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2006;29:119-121
© 2006 Elsevier Science NL

Case report

Arthrodesis for osteoarthritis of the manubriosternal joint

Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Morriston Hospital, Swansea SA6 6NL, UK

Received 28 July 2005; received in revised form 3 October 2005; accepted 7 October 2005.

^_* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 1792 703166; fax: +44 1792 703166. (Email: ahmeddahiri{at}hotmail.com).

Osteoarthritis of the manubriosternal joint is rare. The diagnosis is not easy to make, and more serious causes of chest pain have to be ruled out first. We report one case that was treated with arthrodesis of the manubriosternal joint using double locking screw compression plating (LCP) with excellent results. Pre-operative CT-scan images with 3D reconstruction were used to measure the screw length and the drill stop depth. In this case report, we have shown that arthrodesis can be an effective way of treating osteoarthritis of the manubriosternal joint, when other measures fail. Furthermore, the use of a locking compression plate with appropriate and careful pre-operative planning affords a safe surgical technique, rapid pain relief and ultimately sound and asymptomatic union of the joint.

Key Words: Manubriosternal joint • Osteoarthritis • Arthrodesis