Pseudoartrosi congenita della clavicola: descrizione di un caso

We report the case of the congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle (PAC) in a female child aged 1 year and 9 months. PAC is a rare disease which is normally present at birth even though diagnosis may sometimes be delayed due to the absence of the characteristic painless mass or swelling over the clavicle. In PAC, the two primary ossification centres fail to unite, and sometimes the two resulting portions of the clavicle are connected by a fibrous bridge, contiguous with the periosteum, and a synovial membrane develops. Usually the patient has no history of trauma, and shoulder and arm movements are normal. In this case, PAC was diagnosed following a trauma that caused the omerus fracture and the rupture of the fibrous bridge between the two portions of the clavicle. The aetiology, clinical findings, and therapy of PAC are discussed.