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Primary Flexor Tendon Repair in Zone 1From the St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, UK Correspondence: D. Elliot MA FRCS, St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7ET, UK. This paper presents an analysis of the results of repair of 102 complete flexor tendon disruptions in zone 1 which were rehabilitated by an early active mobilization technique during a 7 year period from 1992 to 1998. These injuries were subdivided into: distal tendon divisions requiring reinsertion; more proximal tendon divisions but still distal to the A4 pulley; tendon divisions under or just proximal to the A4 pulley; and closed avulsions of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon from the distal phalanx. Assessment by Stricklands original criteria showed good and excellent results of 64%, 60%, 55% and 67% respectively in the four groups. However, examination of the results measuring the range of movement of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint alone provided a more realistic assessment of the affect of this injury on DIP joint function, with good and excellent results of only 50%, 46%, 50% and 22% respectively in the four groups.
Journal of Hand Surgery (British and European Volume), Vol. 25, No. 1,
78-84 (2000) |
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