Management of Clavicle Implant Failure With Olecranon Bone Graft: A Case Report

Bone grafts have been important treatment tools in reconstructive orthopaedic surgery for years for traumatic osseous defects, defects resulting from resection of bone tumours, arthrodesis, and osteotomy procedures. We used an autologous olecranon bone graft to fill the bone gap due to fracture comminution in a patient with right clavicle implant failure. A 21-year-old male initially underwent primary fixation with a clavicle locking plate for a comminuted middle-third right clavicle fracture. At the follow-up visit after four weeks, the patient complained of pain over the right shoulder. Repeated radiographs revealed no evidence of union with implant failure. Revision surgery was done, and a cortical-cancellous bone graft was harvested from the ipsilateral olecranon to fill the osseous defect over the clavicle fracture site.