Do young patients with malunited fractures of the distal radius inevitably develop symptomatic post-traumatic osteoarthritis?

Fractures of the distal radius occurring in young adults are treated increasingly by open surgical techniques, partly because of concern that failure to restore the alignment of the fracture accurately may cause symptomatic post-traumatic osteoarthritis in future years. We reviewed 106 adults who had sustained a fracture of the distal radius between 1960 and 1968 and who were below the age of 40 years at the time of injury. We carried out a clinical and radiological assessment at a mean follow-up of 38 years (33 to 42). No patient had required a salvage procedure. While there was radiological evidence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis after an intra-articular fracture in 68% of patients (27 of 40), the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scores were not different from population norms, and function, as assessed by the Patient Evaluation Measure, was impaired by less than 10%. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed a significant relationship between narrowing of the joint space and extra-articular malunion (dorsal angulation and radial shortening) as well as intra-articular injury. Multivariate analysis revealed that grip strength had fallen to 89% of that of the uninjured side in the presence of dorsal malunion, but no measure of extra-articular malunion was significantly related to either the Patient Evaluation Measure or DASH scores. While anatomical reduction is the principal aim of treatment, imperfect reduction of these fractures may not result in symptomatic arthritis in the long term, and this should be considered when counselling patients on the risks and benefits of the many treatment options available.

The internal consistency and validity of the Patient Evaluation Measure for outcomes assessment in distal radius fractures.

The internal consistency and validity of the Patient Evaluation Measure (PEM) was investigated in the setting of the distal radius fracture by assessing 200 patients 6 to 42 years after injury using the PEM and DASH questionnaires and objective measures of outcome. The PEM was completed separately for both the injured and uninjured wrist. We found highly significant correlations between the PEM and objective measures and, also, between the PEM and DASH scores. We also calculated a comparative PEM score by subtracting the score of the uninjured wrist from that of the injured side, to eliminate the effect of co-existing disease. This score was more strongly correlated with outcome than the PEM alone. We suggest that the PEM is a valid method of assessing distal radial fracture outcome. It may, also, be used to reduce the effect of symptoms from coexisting bilaterally represented pathologies.

Preservation of the ulnar bursa within the carpal tunnel: does it improve the outcome of carpal tunnel surgery? A randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: It was hypothesized that preserving a layer of gliding tissue, the parietal layer of the ulnar bursa, between the contents of the carpal tunnel and the soft tissues incised during carpal tunnel surgery might reduce scar pain and improve grip strength and function following open carpal tunnel decompression. METHODS: Patients consented to randomization to treatment with either preservation of the parietal layer of the ulnar bursa beneath the flexor retinaculum at the time of open carpal tunnel decompression (fifty-seven patients) or division of this gliding layer as part of a standard open carpal tunnel decompression (sixty-one patients). Grip strength was measured, scar pain was rated, and the validated Patient Evaluation Measure questionnaire was used to assess symptoms and disability preoperatively and at eight to nine weeks following the surgery in seventy-seven women and thirty-four men; the remaining seven patients were lost to follow-up. RESULTS: There was no difference between the groups with respect to age, sex, hand dominance, or side of surgery. Grip strength, scar pain, and the Patient Evaluation Measure score were not significantly different between the two groups, although there was a trend toward a poorer subjective outcome as demonstrated by the questionnaire in the group in which the ulnar bursa within the carpal tunnel had been preserved. Preserving the ulnar bursa within the carpal tunnel did, however, result in a lower prevalence of suspected wound infection or inflammation (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In this group of patients, preservation of the ulnar bursa around the median nerve during open carpal tunnel release produced no significant difference in grip strength or self-rated symptoms. We recommend incision of the ulnar bursa during open carpal tunnel decompression to allow complete visualization of the median nerve and carpal tunnel contents.