Traumatic avulsion of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon. Report of nineteen cases

Avulsion of the profundus tendon of the fingers is a rare lesion. This injury is seen mainly in rugby players and involves more commonly the fourth finger. Nineteen patients are reported in this series which was divided into recent avulsions (6 cases), old avulsions (8 cases) or sequelae of initial ill-founded treatment (5 cases). The importance of proximal retraction, the delay before diagnosis and the involvement of the long vinculum provide the basis for a classification into three types. Treatment consists of distal reinsertion with a "pull out" technique, resection of the profundus tendon or tendon grafting.