Radial Wrist Extensor Tendon Entrapment in Volarly Displaced Distal Radius Fracture: A Report of 2 Cases.

CASE: We experienced 2 cases of these entrapments. In the first case, the entrapment was identified immediately and treated successfully. In the second case, the entrapment was diagnosed after union when the disturbance of wrist flexion became apparent. CONCLUSION: When there is a longitudinal fracture line at the vicinity of the second compartment, the entrapment of extensors should be suspected even when acceptable overall alignment is accomplished.

A case report of a giant forearm lipoma causing anterior interosseous nerve palsy after fracture of the distal radius.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous reports on anterior interosseous nerve palsy (AINP) caused by a soft tissue tumor after fracture of the distal radius. We treated a case of giant forearm lipoma that caused AINP one day after internal fixation of a distal radius fracture.

Surgical treatment of spontaneous anterior interosseous nerve palsy: a comparison between minimal incision surgery and wide incision surgery.

Recent reports have suggested that fascicular constriction located proximal to the elbow may be the primary aetiology of spontaneous anterior interosseous nerve palsy (sAINP), and recommended interfascicular neurolysis ranging from the proximal forearm to distal upper arm (wide incision surgery: WIS) for its treatment. On the basis of these reports, it was hypothesised that, if the aetiology of sAINP was fascicular constriction, neurolysis limited proximal to the elbow (minimal incision surgery: MIS) should have similar results to those of WIS. Twenty-five surgically treated sAINP cases were retrospectively evaluated. The mean age of onset was 42.8 years, the mean preoperative period was 5.3 months, and mean follow-up period after operation was 31 months. Eleven patients underwent MIS, while 14 underwent WIS according to the patient's intention (intention-to-treat). Twenty-one patients had fascicular constriction, and no entrapment neuropathy was seen in this series. At the latest follow-up, 82% of the patients had British Medical Research Council grade of ≥4 in flexor-pollicis-longus, while 80% had grade of ≥4 in flexor-digitorum-profundus-of-the-index-finger. There were no significant differences between the results of either group. These result suggested that the aetiology of sAINP may not be external compression, but fascicular constriction, and MIS may be its favourable surgical treatment.

Slow progression predicts poor prognoses in patients with spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve palsy.

There are still no factors that predict the prognoses of patients with spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve palsies who are in an early phase of the illness. This paper reviewed 39 patients with this type of palsy. Seventeen patients who requested surgery for possible earlier recovery underwent interfascicular neurolysis because no signs of recovery were seen more than 3 months after onset. A Medical Research Council muscle power grade over 4 at their final visit was considered a good result, while a power less than grade 4 was considered a poor result. The clinical outcomes were significantly worse for the patients who had palsies with slow progressions (for more than 1 month) compared with those who had palsies with rapid progressions (completed within 1 month), regardless of their treatment. No significant difference was seen between the prognoses of patients with complete and incomplete palsies. We, therefore, recommend that interfascicular neurolysis is performed together with tendon transfer as the primary surgical procedures for patients with palsies with slow progression.

Fascicular constrictions in patients with spontaneous palsy of the anterior interosseous nerve and the posterior interosseous nerve.

There is no definition for fascicular constrictions of the spontaneous anterior interosseous nerve palsy (sAINP) and spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve palsy (sPINP). One surgeon has evaluated his findings in our 32 patients of sAINP/sPINP using either photographs or video tapes and proposed a definition. All patients had interfascicular neurolysis, and 87 case reports of "fascicular constriction" were also evaluated. Fascicular constriction was defined as every instance of thinning in the fascicle regardless to its extent. Thinning as a result of extrinsic compression was excluded. The fascicular constrictions were divided into four types: recessed, recessed-bulging, rotation, and rotation-bulging constriction. Two independent surgeons went through our findings to verify their repeatability. The relation between the fascicular constrictions and age at the onset of palsy was evaluated using Student's t test. We found 54 fascicular constrictions, with many variations. However, they could all be categorised by our method. The repeatability among the independent authors was 96%. The age at the onset of palsy was significantly younger in rotation-bulging than in rotation constriction (p = 0.0003). Our definition of describing fascicular constrictions was accurate, and should help to provide consensus in describing these palsies.

Prospective study of distal radial fractures treated with an intramedullary nail.

BACKGROUND: Intramedullary nailing for the treatment of unstable distal radial fractures is reported to provide stable fixation with minimal soft-tissue complications, but there is a paucity of data documenting the results of this technique. The purpose of this study was to prospectively determine the functional outcomes of treatment of unstable distal radial fractures with an intramedullary nail. METHODS: Patients aged fifty years and older with a dorsally displaced unstable distal radial fracture--an extra-articular or simple intra-articular fracture--that was amenable to closed or percutaneous reduction were offered treatment with intramedullary nail fixation (MICRONAIL). Thirty-one patients were enrolled in the study, and twenty-nine patients with a mean age of sixty-seven years (range, fifty-one to eighty-five years) were available for one-year follow-up. According to the AO classification, there was one type-A2, twenty-four type-A3, and four type-C2 distal radial fractures. The patients were evaluated at six weeks, three months, six months, and one year after surgery. Outcome measures included standard radiographic parameters, active wrist range of motion, grip strength, a modified Mayo wrist score, and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. RESULTS: At the final one-year follow-up evaluation, the active range of motion of the injured wrist relative to that on the uninjured side averaged 95% of flexion, 95% of extension, 93% of ulnar deviation, 91% of radial deviation, 99% of pronation, and 99% of supination. The mean grip strength was 96% of that on the uninjured side. According to the modified Mayo wrist score, there were twenty excellent and nine good results. The mean DASH score was 4.8 points. The final radiographic measurements demonstrated, on average, 25° of radial inclination, 11° of volar tilt, 10 mm of radial length, and +1 mm of ulnar variance. Loss of reduction occurred in two patients. One patient developed transient superficial radial sensory neuritis, which resolved within two months. CONCLUSIONS: Intramedullary nailing can be a safe and effective treatment with minimal complications for dorsally displaced unstable extra-articular or simple intra-articular distal radial fractures.

Treatment of Distal Radial Fractures with an Intramedullary Nail.

INTRODUCTION: This paper will describe the surgical technique for the treatment of unstable distal radial fractures with use of the MICRONAIL Intramedullary Distal Radius System (Wright Medical Technology, Arlington, Tennessee). STEP 1 CLOSED REDUCTION AND PINNING: The fracture must be adequately reduced and pinned prior to nail insertion. STEP 2 PERFORM EXPOSURE AND ENTER CANAL: Protect the branches of the superficial radial sensory nerve at all times. STEP 3 INSERT NAIL AND DISTAL LOCKING SCREWS: Insert the nail to a depth to place the most distal screw just proximal to the radiocarpal joint line; confirm fluoroscopically that the screw does not penetrate the articular surface. STEP 4 INSERT PROXIMAL INTERLOCKING SCREWS AND CLOSE: Confirm that the proximal interlocking screws are bicortical for adequate fixation but are not too long. STEP 5 POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Use of a splint is followed by active and then passive range-of-motion exercises. RESULTS: We reported a prospective analysis of patients treated for an unstable distal radial fracture with an intramedullary nail. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: IndicationsContraindicationsPitfalls & Challenges.

Spontaneous anterior interosseous nerve palsy with Churg-Strauss syndrome.

A 74-year-old woman diagnosed with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) complained of difficulty in flexing her left thumb and index finger. Electromyography demonstrated isolated anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) palsy, with no other peripheral neuropathy. We diagnosed this case as spontaneous AIN palsy complicated with CSS, the first case of this kind. Surgical treatment should be considered if no sign of recovery is seen within six months of onset.

Synovial hemangioma of the knee in young children.

Synovial hemangiomas are relatively rare tumors. Clinicians are inclined to delay treatment in most cases. We encountered three cases, in which there was a delay before the patients were operated on. During the relatively long-term postoperative follow up, none of the three cases showed a recurrence of either hemoarthrosis or knee pain. However, limitations in motion or osteoarthritic changes in the affected knee joint remained. We therefore consider that synovial hemangiomas of the knee, even if found in young children, could possibly result in postoperative limitations in motion or osteoarthritic changes.