A clinico-epidemiological study to evaluate the outcomes of extensor tendon injury repair of the hand

Abstract

Introduction: Extensor tendon injuries of the hand are more common in presentation than flexor tendon injuries.These wounds may leave the patient with significant, long-lasting damage if they are not appropriately treated when they first show. The result of extensor tendon injuries needing surgical repair at a tertiary health-care facility in Western India is being reported in the present research. Materials and Methods: Data were gathered prospectively for patients who presented to our hospital in a sequence without being randomly assigned from October 2019 to February 2022. The research comprised 38 individuals who had extensor tendon injuries in total. We are the only ones who can repair peripheral vessels (such as the radial and ulnar arteries), and we only accomplish this while using prolene 8-0/7-0 and under loupe magnification. Ethilon 4-0 is used as the core, while 5-0 is used for epitendinous repair in tendon repairs (interrupted). Most of the time, the modified Kassler approach is employed as a procedure. The figure-eight or mattress sutures were used on flat tendons. Plaster of Paris was used to apply the post-operative splint. A follow-up was conducted after 3 weeks, 6 weeks and finally after 3 months. Results: A total of 38 cases of tendon injuries were registered in the study over a period of 29 months, from October 2019 to February 2022. Most hand injuries were in Zone VI (15.8%) followed closely by Zones IV, VII and VIII. Zone I and II injuries were not encountered. The primary outcome was calculated using the total active range of movement, which was documented compared to a contralateral normal finger. Grade percentage range was poor, fair, good and excellent (0%–24%, 25%–49%, 50%–74% and 75%–100%, respectively). It was seen that Zones V, VI and VIII had better outcomes compared to Zone VII injuries. Conclusion: Although the incidences of extensor tendon injuries are more often encountered than flexor tendon injuries, more protocols and further studies are needed to achieve a complete range of motion in such cases.

Keywords

• extensor tendon repair
• hand injuries
• modified kessler technique
• total active motion