Spinal kirschner wire migration after surgical treatment of clavicular fracture or acromioclavicular joint dislocation: Report of a case and meta-analysis

Kirschner wire is the most used device for clavicular and acromioclavicular joint dislocation fixation. Although wire migrations have been extensively reported, spinal migrations remain rare. Moreover, the mechanism of migration is still elusive. The aim of the present paper is to describe a single case of cervical spine migration of a K-wire followed by meta-analysis. Twelve cases of spinal K-wire have been reported in the last 20 years, with less than 2 cases per year. Clavicular fixation was the main initial procedure with 66.67% of cases. The average time between surgery and migration was 25.5 months. C7-T1 and T2-T3 were the prominent level of migration with each 33.33% of cases, where the migration was transversal in 72.73% of cases. The neural foramen was the most penetrating site of the K-wire in the spine (75% of cases). In all cases the wire was removed via direct access surgery by gentle pulling out along its axis under view control. The greater range of motion in the shoulder seems to be the main mechanism of all kinds of migrations.