Clinical results of splinting versus observation for pediatric trigger thumb.

Patients with pediatric trigger thumb present with fixed contracture of the interphalangeal joint (IPJ) or snapping of the thumb. We applied a hand-based dynamic splint using coils at the IPJ. The aim of this study was to report the clinical outcomes of splint therapy versus observation. One hundred twenty-nine thumbs (112 patients and 57 boys) were examined retrospectively. At initial presentation, parents selected the treatment after explanation of pathology and consents were obtained. Treatment was concluded when full extension or resolution of the involved IPJ was achieved; alternatively, surgical treatment was offered for patients who failed to improve. Improvement in extension loss to 0° and hyperextension was defined as resolution of the IPJ. Surgery was not selected as a first-line treatment strategy in any of the cases in this study. The rate of resolution was 59% at 31 months of follow-up in the splint group (99 thumbs) and 43% at 30 months in observation group (30 thumbs); there was no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.15). Twenty-one thumbs showed locking of the IPJ in the extended position during splint therapy, but all recovered with a 71% rate of resolution. The splint group showed a higher rate of resolution than the observation group; however, there was no significant difference between therapies. Our study showed that 55% of patients with pediatric trigger thumb showed resolution following conservative treatment for an average of 30 months until surgery could be performed under local anesthesia. Splint therapy and observation are viable treatment options prior to surgery.

Audiospatial cognitive ability of visually impaired athletes in static and dynamic spatial cognitive tasks.

[Purpose] This study compares the orientation sense of sighted and visually impaired participants to provide basic research on the audiospatial cognitive ability of visually impaired athletes. [Subjects and Methods] Subjects included nine blind athletes and seven sighted subjects wearing eyeshades during static and dynamic tasks. In the static spatial cognitive task, a coin was dropped towards the right, center, or left of the subject, and the task consisted of identifying the location of the coin. In the dynamic spatial cognitive task, performed with the participant walking, an auditory stimulus was provided. In both spatial cognitive tasks, the independent variables consisted of the "blind athlete" and "sight" groups, as well as three directions; a one-way analysis of variance was performed with the mean error angle as a dependent variable using IBM SPSS Statistics. [Results] The error angles found in the rightward and leftward directions during the static task showed no significant differences, but in the dynamic task, the sight group showed a markedly greater error in the left side, indicating a right-and-left asymmetry in spatial cognition. [Conclusion] Our results suggest a highly developed skill of instantly determining the spatial orientation of auditory information in dynamic situations in blind athletes.