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The effect of WALANT on outcomes of flexor tenolysis
Özgün Barış Güntürk1, Deniz Dikmen Meral, Can Yener
1EMOT Hastanesi, Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Kliniği, El Cerrahisi Bölümü, 35230 Konak, İzmir, Türkiye. ozgungunturk@gmail.com.
Objectives:
This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of the flexor tenolysis cases with wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) and to compare them with cases with other anesthesia types.
Patients And Methods:
Between March 2004 and March 2024, a total of 104 patients with 150 fingers with flexor tenolysis (71 males, 33 females; mean age: 32.67 ± 11.64 years; range, 16 to 62 years) were included in the study. The WALANT group consisted of 41 patients with 53 fingers, while the conventional anesthesia group consisted of 63 patients with 97 fingers. Pre- and postoperative total active motion (TAM) gains were compared between the two groups and relevant factors were investigated.
Results:
Overall TAM gain was 47% in our study cohort. The TAM gain was 55% and 43% in the WALANT group and in the conventional anesthesia group, indicating a statistically significant difference (p = 0.005). The best TAM gains were observed in the clean-cut injury type. The TAM gains were better in the cases without fractures. Age was a significant factor in the tenolysis outcomes, and younger patients had improved outcomes.
Conclusion:
Our study results indicate a significant difference in the TAM gain between the WALANT and conventional methods. Taken together, we believe that the application of WALANT in tenolysis of flexor tendon adhesions represents a significant advancement in hand surgery. The ability to perform the procedure under local anesthesia while allowing for immediate assessment of tendon function enhances the surgical precision and results.
