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Management of Metacarpal and Phalangeal Fracture Malunions
Nathan Morrell1, Naomi H Kelley, Tyler S Pidgeon
1From the Division of Hand Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (Morrell, Kelley); and the Division of Hand, Upper Extremity, and Microvascular Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC (Pidgeon).
Abstract:
Fractures of the metacarpals and phalanges are common. Inadequate management of these injuries frequently results in malunion. Although the hand is capable of adaptation to some malalignment, malunions of the metacarpals and phalanges are often functionally notable. In these cases, surgical correction may result in improved outcomes. Corrective osteotomies are capable of improving coronal, sagittal, and axial plane malalignment. Preoperative software-assisted osteotomy planning and 3D-printed cut guides are contemporary innovations that make treatment of these difficult problems much more approachable.
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