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The effect of smoking on post-operative finger range of motion in patients with tendon grafts
Ivan Justan1, Petra Ovesná, Tomáš Kubek
1Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Masaryk University, Faculty of Medicine, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic. justan@operativa.cz
Background:
The finger range of motion (ROM) was evaluated in patients with hand flexor tendon replacement using a tendon graft and the effect of smoking was investigated. The first hypothesis was: a tendon graft increases the post-operative ROM. The second hypothesis was: smoking has a negative effect on the final finger ROM.
Patients And Methods:
Fifty seven autologous tendon grafts in 48 patients were included. The patients were grouped as non-smokers or smokers ("light" or "heavy"). The modified Strickland system and Total Active Motion (TAM) system, were chosen for the evaluation.
Results:
The first hypothesis was proved by all the measurements. The post-operative status assessed by the Strickland method was different between the non-smokers and smokers with a better score in the smokers.
Conclusion:
A significant ROM improvement occurs after reconstruction and is even slightly better in smokers than in non-smokers.
