RESUMO
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.
RESUMO
Hand compartment syndrome is a limb-threatening emergency. Although it is a relatively uncommon condition, early diagnosis, and urgent fasciotomy can prevent irreversible ischemia, myonecrosis, nerve dysfunction, and subsequently permanent loss of hand functions. The occurrence of hand compartment syndrome is relatively infrequent, resulting in a limited amount of literature on its causes. As a result, we conducted a systematic review to provide the most comprehensive data regarding the etiology of traumatic hand compartment syndrome. This systematic review was conducted and reported in light of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. We searched among Medline, and EBSCO Database, with no restriction on the dates (last date of the systematic search was done on April 28, 2022). We included all studies containing data regarding traumatic hand compartment syndrome. A total of 29 articles with 129 patients constituted the basis of this review. The etiology of traumatic hand compartment syndrome was classified into three groups: soft tissue injury-related, fracture-related, and vascular injury-related causes. The most common etiology of hand compartment was related to soft tissue injuries which constituted 86.8% of all etiologies, followed by fracture-related (5.4%), then vascular injury-related (1.5%). Further, burns were the most likely injury to lead to hand compartment syndrome which made up 63.4% of soft-tissue injuries, followed by animal bites (8.9%). Hand compartment syndrome can be caused by multiple etiologies that affect people of different ages. Therefore, identifying the most prevalent causes can help in early detection of compartment syndrome by frequent assessment of patients that present with the most prevalent causes like burn among soft tissue injuries and metacarpal bone fracture among fractures.
