Shivaraj B¹, Shiva Kumar Bingi², Parvez Ahmad Ganie³, Aquib Suheil Pasha⁴ and Madhan Jeyaraman³*

¹Department of Orthopaedics, Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
²Department of Orthopaedics, Relief Hospital, Warangal, Telangana, India
³Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medical Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
⁴Department of Orthopaedics, JJM Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka, India

*Corresponding Author: Madhan Jeyaraman, Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medical Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Received: July 27, 2021; Published: August 12, 2021

Abstract

Introduction: Metacarpal and phalangeal fractures are more common injuries in hand, either closed or open. These injuries are encountered every day. Most of the fractures are treated conservatively, but for unstable fractures, open fractures, comminuted fractures operative treatment is indicated. This study was undertaken to evaluate the functional outcome of closed or open metacarpal and phalangeal fractures treated with a mini-external fixator.

Materials and Methods: From July 2016 to June 2019, a total of 40 cases of metacarpal and phalangeal fractures of the hand were treated with a mini-external fixator. All patients were screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Follow up was done till 12 months to evaluate the fracture union and range of movements by DASH score.

Results: The mean soft tissue healing was 2.56 weeks. The mean fracture healing was 14.45 weeks. The results were found excellent in 55%, good in 22.5% cases, fair in 15% cases, whereas poor results were seen in 7.5% of fractures.

Conclusion: External fixation is an adequate alternative treatment for unstable phalangeal and metacarpal fractures which are open or accompanied by severe soft-tissue injuries.

Keywords: Mini-External Fixator; Metacarpal; Phalanx; DASH Score

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Citation

Citation: Madhan Jeyaraman., et al. “Management of Fractures of Metacarpals and Phalanges of Hand with Mini External Fixator".Acta Scientific Orthopaedics 4.9 (2021): 34-39.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2021 Madhan Jeyaraman., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.