Open AccessMallet fractures: a prospective comparison of treatment outcomes
Author(s) -
Jessica Savage,
Clara Miller,
Shirley Collocott,
Devlin Elliott,
Karen L. Smith
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australasian journal of plastic surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2209-170X
DOI - 10.34239/ajops.v4n1.222
Subject(s) - mallet , medicine , mallet finger , splint (medicine) , subluxation , observational study , radiological weapon , informed consent , splints , physical therapy , prospective cohort study , surgery , interphalangeal joint , cohort study , alternative medicine , tendon , archaeology , pathology , history
Background: The optimal management of mallet fractures is controversial. Currently, published evidence does not clearly define the role of surgery in managing these fractures or identify when splinting alone is suitable.Methods: An observational, prospective cohort study was undertaken between 2012 and 2015 evaluating patient experience, and radiological and functional outcomes following mallet fractures managed with splinting alone or surgery combined with post-operative splinting. This study was registered with our local research facility and ethical approval was granted by the New Zealand Northern B Health and Disability Ethics Committee Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDEC) #13/NTB/202. All patients provided formal written consent. Results: A total of 109 adult patients with 113 mallet fractures were enrolled in the study and 85 patients with 89 fractures completed follow-up. Mean follow-up was 190 days. Fractures initially associated with subluxation of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint treated with splinting alone were five times more likely to fail to meet a minimum standard of success than those fixed with surgery. When the fracture fragment occupies between one and two thirds of the joint surface, even in the absence of initial DIP joint subluxation, 13/35 (37%) joints subluxed during splint treatment. Conclusion: This study aids clinicians by highlighting where splinting is likely to fail and providing a means of identifying injuries in which surgery must be considered