The benefit of MRI in the preoperative assessment of scaphoid proximal fragment vascularity remains controversial. The purpose of this study is to compare preoperative MRI findings to intraoperative bleeding of the proximal scaphoid. A retrospective review of 102 patients who underwent surgery for scaphoid nonunion between January 2000 and December 2020 at a single institution were identified. Inclusion criteria were: isolated scaphoid nonunion; preoperative MRI assessing the proximal fragment vascularity; and operative details of the vascularity of the proximal fragment with the tourniquet deflated. MRI results and intraoperative findings were dichotomized as either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the presence of vascularity. A four-fold contingency table was used to analyze the utility of preoperative MRI with 95% confidence intervals. Relative risk was calculated for subgroups to analyze the association between variables and MRI accuracy.Aims
Methods
Free vascularised fibular grafting has been used for the treatment
of large bony defects for more than 40 years. However, there is
little information about the risk factors for failure and whether
newer locking techniques of fixation improve the rates of union.
The purpose of this study was to compare the rates of union of free
fibular grafts fixed with locking and traditional techniques, and
to quantify the risk factors for nonunion and failure. A retrospective review involved 134 consecutive procedures over
a period of 20 years. Of these, 25 were excluded leaving 109 patients
in the study. There were 66 men and 43 women, with a mean age of
33 years (5 to 78). Most (62) were performed for oncological indications,
and the most common site (52) was the lower limb. Rate of union
was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and risk factors for
nonunion were assessed using Cox regression. All patients were followed
up for at least one year.Aims
Patients and Methods
We studied 57 patients with isolated lunotriquetral injuries treated by arthrodesis, direct ligament repair, or ligament reconstruction. The outcomes were compared by using written questionnaires, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score, range of movement, strength, morbidity and rates of reoperation. Isolated lunotriquetral injury was confirmed by arthroscopy or arthrotomy. The mean age of the patients was 30.7 years (15.4 to 53.7) and the injuries were subacute or chronic in 98.2%. Eight patients underwent lunotriquetral reconstruction using a distally-based strip of the tendon of extensor carpi ulnaris, 27 had lunotriquetral repair and 22 had lunotriquetral arthrodesis. The mean follow-up was 9.5 years (2 to 22). The probability of remaining free from complications at five years was 68.6% for reconstruction, 13.5% for repair, and less than 1% for arthrodesis. Of the lunotriquetral arthrodeses, 40.9% developed nonunion and 22.7% developed ulnocarpal impaction. The probability of not requiring further surgery at five years was 68.6% for reconstruction, 23.3% for repair and 21.8% for arthrodesis. The DASH scores for each group were not significantly different. Objective improvements in strength and movement, subjective indicators of pain relief and satisfaction were significantly higher in the lunotriquetral repair and reconstruction groups than in those undergoing arthrodesis.