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A dog bite injury involving joints and bones has poor prognosis. We described a case of open proximal phalangeal fracture with bone defect of the left index finger due to dog bite injury. The patient was treated successfully with a pedicled second metacarpal vascularized bone graft based on the second dorsal metacarpal artery following debridement and external fixation. Subsequently, extensor tendon tenolysis wrapped with adipofascial flap based on the first dorsal metacarpal artery was performed. After obtaining supple joint of the finger, flexor tendon tenolysis was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, without infection. Nineteen months after the last operation, there was slight pain in the finger at power grip, but no disability in activities of daily life and work. The total active motion of the left index finger was 245°, and plain radiography showed bony union without osteoarthritic change. Good clinical outcome was obtained through a combination of staged surgery. Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Early diagnosis of attritional wear of the flexor pollicis longus (FPL) tendon is essential in preventing subsequent tendon rupture. There are currently few objective methods of assessing FPL attrition. We hypothesized that color Doppler imaging could visibly detect FPL tendon attrition, and analyzed our results.Methods: We evaluated ultrasound imaging of the contact between the FPL tendon and a volar locking plate using the real-time B-mode and Doppler waveforms of the FPL tendon using the continuous Doppler wave mode in 40 patients who underwent fixation of the distal volar locking plate for distal radius fracture. Twenty out of 40 patients underwent plate removal surgery after ultrasound evaluation. We also assessed the relationship between the Doppler waveforms and attrition of the FPL tendon in these 20 patients.Results: Based on the ultrasound findings (n = 40), we divided Doppler waveforms of the FPL tendon into three categories: type 1, spindle wave; type 2, spindle wave with spike; and type 3, spike wave. There were 23, 11, and six patients with type 1, 2, and 3 waveforms in the affected hand, respectively. There were 37 patients with type 1, three with type 2, and no patient with type 3 waveforms in the contralateral wrist. Of the 20 patients who underwent plate removal, five had type 3 waveforms. We found tendon fraying or partial tears in three of these five patients. In addition, all five patients showed changes to type 1 or 2 waveforms after plate removal. None of the other 15 patients with type 1 or 2 waveforms had any tendon injuries during plate removal.Conclusions: Spike Doppler waveform can indicate abnormal findings, and may be a useful method to predict tendon attrition, because of its visibility.Diagnostic Study: Level III evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We evaluated trigger fingers ultrasonographically and clarified differences between fingers with and without continuous locking or snapping symptoms according to the thicknesses of the A1 pulley, flexor tendon and volar plate.Methods: We evaluated 26 trigger fingers, divided into two groups: Group 1, 14 fingers with locking or snapping; and Group 2, 12 fingers without such symptoms. We also evaluated 26 contralateral fingers as controls (Control 1 and 2 groups). We compared each group to the respective control group according to thickness of the A1 pulley and volar plate, and cross-sectional area of the flexor tendon. In addition, nine fingers with locking or snapping and treated using corticosteroid injection were evaluated according to symptoms and sonographic findings 3-4 weeks after treatment.Results: Thickness of the A1 pulley and cross-sectional area of the flexor tendon were greater in both Groups 1 and 2 than in controls. Thickness of the volar plate was greater in Group 1 than in Control 1, although no significant difference was seen between Group 2 and Control 2. In Group 1, eight of the nine fingers showed an alleviation of locking or snapping symptoms with corticosteroid injection, and sonographic findings showed that thickness of the volar plate was significantly decreased with corticosteroid injection, in addition to reduced thickness of the A1 pulley.Conclusion: In addition to thickening of the A1 pulley, thickening of the volar plate may represent an important contributor to continuous snapping or locking symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]