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A review of repaired flexor tendons
1North East Thames Regional Plastic Surgery Unit, St. Andrew's Hospital, Billericay, Essex.
Journal of Hand Surgery (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|October 1, 1987
Summary
Flexor tendon repair in fingers and thumbs yields excellent or good functional results in most cases. However, little finger repairs were less successful, and partial tendon divisions showed no advantage over complete divisions.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Hand Surgery
- Reconstructive Surgery
Background:
- Flexor tendon injuries are common hand traumas requiring surgical repair.
- Assessing functional outcomes after flexor tendon repair is crucial for patient recovery and surgical technique evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the functional outcomes of surgically repaired flexor tendons in fingers and thumbs.
- To compare outcomes based on the extent of tendon division (partial vs. complete) and finger location.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 67 patients with 176 repaired flexor tendons (160 finger, 16 thumb).
- Mean follow-up interval of 26.4 months.
- Functional outcomes assessed using the Buck-Gramcko criteria.
Main Results:
- Excellent or good functional results were achieved in 92% of repaired finger tendons.
- Excellent or good functional results were achieved in 69% of repaired thumb tendons (flexor pollicis longus).
- No significant difference in outcomes between partially and completely divided tendons.
- Repairs in the little finger showed less satisfactory results compared to other fingers.
Conclusions:
- Surgical repair of flexor tendons in fingers and thumbs generally leads to favorable functional outcomes.
- Little finger flexor tendon repairs represent a challenge, requiring further investigation for improved results.
- The degree of tendon division does not appear to significantly impact the functional outcome of surgical repair.