[Insufficient treatment of fractures of the hand (author's transl)]

The treatment of fractures of the hand cannot be standardized, the procedure to be used has to be determined from case to case. Besides age and profession the patients intelligence and his readiness to cooperate are of importance. Sometimes osteosynthesis is not successful because these factors are disregarded. In some cases immediate amputation will not only shorten the time of treatment considerably but also prevent an inept psychic attitude (pension neurosis). Correct assessment of the injury during the first treatment may be decisive for failure or success, because a second operation will not yield a good result.