The purposes of this study were to investigate the non and delayed union of diaphyseal fractures of the clavicle and to identify the risk factors associated with such problems. Two hundred three diaphyseal fractures of the clavicle were treated at our clinic from August 1987 to August 2000. Type2A fractures of Robinson's classification were forty-three and type2B were one hundred sixty. We treated all fractures conservatively till August 1990, but most fractures with complete displacement

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... ally since September 1990. The patients and treatment factors for nonunion and delayed union were analyzed statistically. All patients of type2A fractures with bony contact healed uneventfully. Two patients of type2B fractures without bony contact developed nonunion and five delayed union which was defined as healing more than five months. Two patients of nonunion were treated conservatively. One patient was thirty-nine years old and male. Another patient was fifty-seven years old, female and suffered from chronic hepatitis. Both fractures were displaced more than 20 mm after reduction. Two of five patients with a delayed union were treated surgically. One was fortyseven years old, male with a re-refracture and the other was sixteen years old, male with a refracture. The other three patients with a delayed union were treated conservatively and displaced more than 20 mm. In addition, their ages were fifty years or more. Most studies concerning the risk factors for nonunion focused on displacement In this study, displacements more than 20 mm were associated with poor prognosis of union the same as in our former studies. Furthermore age and refracture were considered as risk factors of a delayed union.