[Reconstruction of fresh and old ligament injuries of the proximal thumb joint]

In fresh ruptures of the collateral ligaments of the proximal thumb joint conservative therapy often fails; therefore these lesions ought to be operated. A reinsertion of the ligaments which at the most part are torn out at their distal end, using the suture described by Lengemann, proved successful in 16 cases. At old ligament lesions we used the palmaris longus tendon as a ligament-substitute. 6 patients operated according to this method were completely painless at the reexamination which took place on an average 8 months after the operation.