Clinical use of refrigerated flexor tendon allografts to replace a silicone rubber rod

Thirty-five patients with grades II through V flexor tendon damage in 42 fingers were treated first with a silicone rubber rod prosthesis and later with a flexor tendon allograft. The final results were evaluated by recording the distance each finger lacked in flexing to the distal palmar crease and by recording the total active motion of each finger. By the first measurement, 63% had good flexion, 21% fair, and 16% poor; and 8% had good total active motion, 71% fair, and 21% poor. An allograft can be used successfully in a two-stage reconstruction of flexor tendons, but based on other reports, an autograft may provide somewhat better results.