RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Clinical studies in orthopedics are using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) increasingly. PROMs are often being designed for a specific disease or an area of the body with the aim of being patient centered. As yet, none exists specifically for treatment with circular ring external fixation devices. AIM: The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive systematic review of the published literature related to the use of PROMs in patients that underwent treatment with circular frames (Ilizarov or Hexapod Type Fixators). METHODS: An online literature search was conducted for English language articles using the Scopus. RESULTS: There were 534 published articles identified. After initial filtering for relevance and duplication, this figure reduced to 17, with no further articles identified through searching the bibliographies. Exclusion criteria removed two articles resulting in 15 articles included in the final review. Out of the 15 studies identified, a total of 10 different scoring measures where used. The majority of studies used a combination of joint/limb-specific and generic health PROMs with an average of 2.5 per study. No paper specifically discussed all eight PROMs criteria when justifying which PROMs they used. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that none of the PROMs analyzed in this systematic review are truly representative of the health outcomes specific to this patient group and, therefore, propose that a PROM specific to this patient group needs to be developed. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Antonios T, Barker A, Ibrahim I, et al. A Systematic Review of Patient-reported Outcome Measures Used in Circular Frame Fixation. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2019;14(1):34-44.
RESUMEN
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is normally diagnosed via its sensory and motor manifestations. The associated autonomic dysfunction has not been exploited to its full potential as a diagnostic tool due to the difficulties in quantifying it. We aim to demonstrate that autonomic dysfunction of CTS can be quantified by measuring skin capacitance. Fifty-one patients with clinical signs and electrophysiological evidence of CTS in 89 hands were recruited. Skin capacitance was measured using Corneometer CM825 (C&K Electronic, GmbH) from the palmar aspect of the distal phalanx of the index and little finger of the affected hand. Healthy gender- and age-matched individuals were recruited as controls. The mean ratio of hydration of the index to the little finger was 0.82. The mean difference was 10.98 arbitrary units. The control group consisted of 151 subjects (80 Male & 71 Female) and 302 hands with an average age of 40.1 years (18-81 years). The mean ratio of hydration of the index to the little finger was 0.87. The mean difference was 8.67 arbitrary units. The measurement ratios (index to little finger skin hydration) between the two groups was compared directly and gave a significant mean difference of 0.05 arbitrary units. Statistically significant differences in skin capacitance between CTS patients and controls have been demonstrated and quantified using a rapid and simple method. This can be used in clinic to reduce the reliance on Nerve Conduction Studies for diagnosing CTS.