ABSTRACT
Introduction: The extensor pollicis longus (EPL) is a muscle that follows a complex anatomical course in the hand to allow for thumb extension. Almost all manual activities require the use of the EPL; therefore, when ruptured it can be very disabling for patients. The etiologies behind traumatic EPL rupture were mostly attributed to distal radius fracture in the literature. However, EPL rupture remains uncommon, and other traumatic etiologies exist. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to provide a holistic view of the traumatic etiologies behind the EPL rupture and fill the global lack of knowledge regarding this rare injury. Materials and Methods: We searched among Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Database of systematic review register databases via Ovid, with no restriction on the date, including studies containing data about the etiology of traumatic causes of EPL tendon rupture with available full text, and excluding non-English and animal studies. Results: A total of 37 articles with 371 cases constituted the basis of this review. We classified the etiology of the EPL rupture into three groups according to the affected anatomical structure that caused the EPL rupture (fracture-related, soft tissue-related, and mallet thumb). Conclusion: Distal radius fractures remain the most common cause of EPL rupture; however, other causes, such as lacerations, blunt trauma, and direct cuts to the EPL tendon, should be considered.
ABSTRACT
Background: Telemedicine has proven beneficial in improving patient satisfaction and access to care and reducing health care costs. The effectiveness of telemedicine in orthopedic surgery has been reported. However, data on its use in Saudi Arabia are scarce. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of telemedicine in orthopedic surgery in Saudi Arabia to better understand its integration and efficiency in this field. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between August and December 2022 to evaluate the knowledge and practice of telemedicine among orthopedic board-certified physicians in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a valid, structured, self-administered questionnaire distributed online via Google Forms. Results: A total of 111 orthopedic surgeons were included in this study. Most of the participants were males (95.5%), consultants (39.6%), and working in the central region (55.8%). Approximately 44.1% of the physicians used telemedicine before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, while 94% used it during the pandemic. More than half of the physicians reported easy access to telemedicine. However, most of the physicians reported that they were not satisfied with conducting virtual physical examinations for new, follow-up, and postoperative patients and were mostly satisfied with taking the virtual history. Conclusion: This study suggests that telemedicine is highly adopted for follow-up care and postoperative management in orthopedics, with high satisfaction rates among surgeons.
