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A correct diagnosis and treatment of fingertip- and nail injuries, commonly seen in the emergency room, is crucial. Insufficient treatment can result in long-term complications, including finger dysfunction and dysaesthesia, nail deformity, infection, or pain. These remaining problems may induce severe impairment of the quality of life of the patient. This review summarises the diagnosis and treatment., (Published under Open Access CC-BY-NC-BD 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Instability of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is disabling and can occur at any age as an acute or chronic condition. A medical history and objective examination together with the radiological findings are sufficient to make the diagnosis in the majority of cases. Otherwise, an ultrasound or MRI scan should be considered for the acute and chronic injuries, respectively. The partial injuries are treated non-surgically with immobilisation of the metacarpophalangeal joint, while the complete ruptures require surgery, which is summarised in this review. Chronic UCL injuries with symptomatic osteoarthritis are treated with arthrodesis.

Metacarpal fractures are common. Stable, extra-articular fractures can often be treated non-operatively with or without closed reduction, splinting and then mobilisation with buddy taping. Unstable or displaced extra-articular fractures, where adequate reduction cannot be maintained, and most intra-articular fractures require osteosynthesis. The goal for any treatment is early mobilisation. Intra-articular fractures, open fractures and certain paediatric fractures can lead to poor functional outcome; hence, referral to a hand surgeon is recommended in this review.

Phalangeal fractures are common in all ages. Stable, extra-articular fractures can be treated non-operatively by closed reduction and buddy taping, while surgical fixation should be considered for unstable and displaced extra-articular fractures and most intra-articular fractures. The treatment should aim at early, active mobilisation in order to achieve the optimal functional outcome. Since intra-articular frac-tures, proximal interphalangeal joint fracture dislocations, open fractures and certain paediatric fractures can lead to poor functional outcome, referral to a hand surgeon is recommended.

Extension of the fingers is a complex act. Boutonnière deformity is defined by flexion at the proximal inter-phalangeal (PIP) joint and hyperextension at the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint due to disruption of the central slip of the extensor tendon. Swan neck deformity is defined by hyperextension at the PIP joint and flexion at the DIP joint, and the pathology is divided into intrinsic, extrinsic, and articular. The deformities are a result of imbalance of the tendons and ligaments in the fingers. Treatment is depending on the underlying cause and includes surgery and non-operative treatment. Functional gain and risk must be realistically assessed.

Dupuytren's disease is a hereditary fibroproliferative disease commonly affecting the palmar fascia of the hand, which results in progressive and irreversibly fixed flexion contractures of the hand. It may occur in the sole of the foot or in the penis. Generally, treatment has been up against a high frequency of complications and recurrence, but promising results are reported from less invasive treatment options, e.g. needle fasciotomy and enzymatic fasciotomy with collagenase. This is a detailed, comparative review of available non-operative and surgical treatments with focus on the enzymatic fasciotomy.

Dissection and prosection require a donation programme of cadavers for education and research. The importance of maintaining the donation programme and the significance of dissection as a teaching method when learning anatomic structures and obtaining surgical skills are evaluated.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome type I is primarily a clinical diagnosis. The syndrome is most common after soft tissue damage or fractures and is more often seen in women than in men. The paramount symptom is pain, but oedema, a limited range of motion, changes in sensibility, and trophic changes are also seen. The pathogenesis is unknown, but most clinicians believe it to be caused by disturbances in the sympathetic or sensory nervous system and/or an excessive inflammatory response, most likely neurogenic inflammation. It seems that early treatment with physiotherapy and corticosteroids has a positive effect on the disease. Despite lack of documentation, the principles of treatment usually prescribed for the treatment of neurogenic pain must be taken into consideration. There is a lack of large double-blind studies on all aspects of the syndrome.