Hand function of flexor tendon injury patients 7 – 10 years after surgery.

Bramer, E.D. (Edo Melchior) (2013) Hand function of flexor tendon injury patients 7 – 10 years after surgery. thesis, Medicine.

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Abstract

Objective: Flexor tendon rupture is a common hand injury usually caused by sharp objects such as a knife or a piece of glass. Surgical repair has to follow diagnosis rapidly in order to maintain a functional digit. There is no information about the long term results of hand function of flexor tendon injury patients. The objective of this research is to determine the hand function of flexor tendon patients at an average follow-up of nine years after surgery. Materials and Methods: We performed an observational, longitudinal study measuring active range of motion, passive range of motion, grip strength, pinch strength, response time, fine manual dexterity, patient satisfaction on hand function and patient satisfaction on handiness. With paired t-tests we compared the results of the injured hand with the uninjured hand and we compared the results of the measurement twelve weeks after surgery with the follow-up measurement. A linear mixed model was used to determine the confounding effects of aging on our variables. Results: Ten patients participated in this study (n=10). Passive range of motion, grip strength, pinch strength, response time and fine manual dexterity of the injured hand showed no significant difference with the uninjured hand. Active range of motion, patient satisfaction on hand function and patient satisfaction on handiness of the injured hand was significantly lower than the uninjured hand. Mixed model analysis showed no significant effect of aging on our variables. Conclusion: Patients with flexor tendon ruptures seem to recover normal hand function concerning passive range of motion, grip strength, pinch strength, response time and fine manual dexterity. Active range of motion, patient satisfaction on hand function and patient satisfaction on handiness did not recover to normal values. The results of this study give us more insight and information for patient education about the long term hand function of flexor tendon patients.

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Broekstra, mw. D.C. MSc and Stenekes, Dr. M.W.
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 11:05
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 11:05
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2503

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