FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME BY EVALUATION OF DASH SCORE ON DROP HAND PATIENT TREATED WITH JONES’ TENDON TRANSFER: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Drop hands due to radial nerve injuries cause functional and structural disabilities. Tendon transfer became the last option when nerve repair could not give patients restoration. The most popular method was Jones' Tendon transfer to restore wrist dorsiflexion, extending the thumb and the fingers. The Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score measures functional outcomes in patients with upper extremities injuries. This study was to acknowledge the functional outcome and evaluate the DASH score in drop hand patients who undergone surgery by Jones’ Tendon Transfer in Prof. Dr. R. Soeharso Orthopaedic Hospital Surakarta from January 2014 to June 2016.Methods: The collected data from the medical record was evaluated based on functional outcome and DASH score. Eleven patients were included, ten male patients (90.9%) and one female patient (9.1%). The mean age of patients was 27.4 years old, with the most frequently injured arm was the right arm, counted to be eight patients (72.7%), and the left arm was three patients (27.3%).Results: The result from the evaluation of the DASH score indicated ten patients (90.9%) were minimal disability, and one patient (9.1%) was moderate disability. The average score was 12.48, which means that most patients could cope with most daily living activities post-operatively.Conclusions: In conclusion, surgery for drop hand due to radial nerve palsy by Jones’ Tendon Transfer gave a satisfactory functional outcome based on the DASH score.