Technique of Making Holes and Passing Wires in Subcondylar Fractures

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the precise method for making holes and passing wires in a subcondylar fracture. The subcondylar fracture sites were accessed by making a submandibular incision. At the preauricular area, an 18-gauge 1.5 needle (inner diameter, 1.05 mm) was put from the skin to the distal end of the proximal fragment. Then a no. 1 Kirschner wire (diameter, 0.9 mm) was then inserted through the needle; it passed through the proximal fragment and was retrieved. Thus, a small hole approximately 1 mm was made on the proximal segment. A 27-gauge suture wire (diameter, 0.38 mm) was passed through the needle and the hole on the proximal segment. The tip of the wire was pulled using a loop made of a paper clip at the medial side of the proximal fragment. Another hole was made at the distal (major) segment with the same method. The tip of the wire, which traversed through the proximal fragment, was put into the hole on the distal segment, making a figure-of-8 pattern. The wire was tightened, and the fracture site was immobilized.We believe that this method of making holes and passing wires using a needle and K-wire might be a simple and quick alternative technique for treating subcondylar fractures.