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A long-term study following Bennett's fracture.
Journal of Hand Surgery (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|October 1, 1986
Summary
Long-term outcomes for Bennett's Fractures show most patients have minimal symptoms, despite common radiographic signs of imperfect healing. Conservative treatment is often effective for these thumb base fractures.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Hand Surgery
- Traumatology
Background:
- Bennett's fracture is a common injury to the thumb base.
- Long-term outcomes and correlation with radiographic findings are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term functional and symptomatic outcomes of Bennett's fractures.
- To assess the correlation between radiographic reduction accuracy and long-term results.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 25 patients with Bennett's fractures 5-16 years post-injury.
- Assessment included clinical examination and review of post-reduction radiographs.
- Analysis focused on symptoms, range of motion, and radiographic parameters.
Main Results:
- Most patients (22/25) were managed conservatively with plaster immobilization.
- Ten patients were asymptomatic, and only two had significant symptoms at long-term follow-up.
- Twenty-one patients showed reduced movement in the trapeziometacarpal joint; 16 had >1mm fragment separation, but this did not correlate with symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Bennett's fractures managed conservatively often lead to good long-term functional outcomes.
- Radiographic signs of imperfect reduction (fragment separation, varus angulation) do not consistently correlate with long-term symptoms or arthritis.
- Conservative management appears effective, even with less-than-perfect radiographic reduction.