The effect of a dedicated Ponseti service on the outcome of idiopathic clubfoot treatment.

We report the effect of introducing a dedicated Ponseti service on the five-year treatment outcomes of children with idiopathic clubfoot. Between 2002 and 2004, 100 feet (66 children; 50 boys and 16 girls) were treated in a general paediatric orthopaedic clinic. Of these, 96 feet (96%) responded to initial casting, 85 requiring a tenotomy of the tendo-Achillis. Recurrent deformity occurred in 38 feet and was successfully treated in 22 by repeat casting and/or tenotomy and/or transfer of the tendon of tibialis anterior, The remaining 16 required an extensive surgical release. Between 2005 and 2006, 72 feet (53 children; 33 boys and 20 girls) were treated in a dedicated multidisciplinary Ponseti clinic. All responded to initial casting: 60 feet (83.3%) required a tenotomy of the tendo-Achillis. Recurrent deformity developed in 14, 11 of which were successfully treated by repeat casting and/or tenotomy and/or transfer of the tendon of tibialis anterior. The other three required an extensive surgical release. Statistical analysis showed that children treated in the dedicated Ponseti clinic had a lower rate of recurrence (p = 0.068) and a lower rate of surgical release (p = 0.01) than those treated in the general clinic. This study shows that a dedicated Ponseti clinic, run by a well-trained multidisciplinary team, can improve the outcome of idiopathic clubfoot deformity.

Five to eight years follow-up for trapeziectomy and Weilby ligament reconstruction for the treatment of trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis.

Trapeziectomy and Weilby ligament reconstruction is a recognized treatment for osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint. Studies published using this procedure have limited follow-up post-surgery. In this series of 24 cases assessed objectively and 36 subjectively with a minimum follow-up of five years, patients continue to have pain relief and function comparable to the opposite non-operated hand. Patient satisfaction is high at 92% and the rate of complications is low. Despite these encouraging results the need for interposition arthroplasty and/or ligament reconstruction in addition to trapeziectomy alone is discussed.

Short to medium results using the remotion total wrist replacement for rheumatoid arthritis.

We present the clinical outcome of patients who underwent RE-MOTION Total Wrist Replacement (TWR) for the treatment of Rheumatoid arthritis involving the wrist. Ten patients were available for follow-up, ranging from one to five years after index surgery. Two patients required surgical intervention for wound breakdown, including one patient who required a radial forearm flap for skin coverage. No patients required revision surgery or conversion to fusion. Patients who did not have complications gained statistically significant pain relief and improvement in mean overall flexion. In this small case series with short to medium results patients reported an improvement in terms of flexion and pain. Despite this, the question of efficacy of TWR compared to fusion in the long term remains unanswered due to the high rate of complications.

Primary repair of zone I flexor tendon injuries.

Eighty-two patients who were treated by suture repair for zone I flexor tendon injuries over a ten-year period were identified, to determine the incidence of post-operative surgical complications and subsequent re-operations. Eighty-five percent of patients completed 12 weeks follow-up post-surgery. Of these patients almost all had good to excellent outcome in terms of total active movement (TAM). However when assessing the range of motion at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ), only 23% could be classified as having good or excellent results at final follow-up. A total of six patients (7.32%) required surgery for tendon repair complications. This study illustrates that DIPJ ROM is more indicative of functional recovery after tendon repair in flexor zone I. Given the DIPJ is important in providing a fine pinch and a span pinch grip movements, patients should be counselled for inability to perform these functions post-tendon repair.

The button-over-nail technique for Zone I flexor tendon injuries.

The "button over the nail" is the most commonly used technique in order to re-insert the flexor digitorum profundus tendon into the distal phalanx in the management of Zone 1 injuries. Recent evidence in the literature has highlighted an associated morbidity with the technique. In this study, 37 patients were identified that had been treated using the "button technique", for which outcome data is collected by hand therapists as part of a prospective flexor tendon injury audit. Retrospective case note review was performed to determine incidence of post-operative surgical complications. There were limited complications with the use of the "button technique" overall. However, functional outcome when compared to other studies are relatively poor with mean range of motion at the distal interphalangeal joint being 37.5 degrees. The authors would recommend any decision to change technique for the management of these injuries should consider functional outcome in the presence of a low surgical complication rate.