Functional Outcomes after Surgical Treatment of Hand Fractures - ORIF vs. CRIF Analysis

Abstract

Hand fractures are the most common fractures presenting at both accident and emergency and within emergency clinics. Appropriate evaluation at first presentation, as well as during their management, can significantly prevent both morbidity and disability to a patient. These decisions are dependent on a wide range of factors including age, hand dominance, occupation and co-morbidities. Usually, conservative treatment is the best solution for the patients but the indication for such treatment should be really precise. Unstable or multiple fractures are treated in a surgical manner, more or less invasive. When surgical treatment is the main indication, the hand surgeon has to choose the best bone implant, which can assure fast rehabilitation of the hand. We report our surgical experience in hand fractures that includes metacarpal and phalanges fractures and different bone implants application: Kirschner wires, mini-plates and screws and external fixation. We designed a retrospective clinical study on 32 patients that were treated in our department during the interval 2015-2016. Rehabilitation of the hand after surgery is the most important aspect of treatment, because it is necessary in every patient, and because it is no use splinting or operating on a hand if it ends up stiffed. Stable fixation of fractures and early mobilization will prevent stiffness and will be the key for successfully treatment of hand fractures. This can be possible only when the surgeon will choose the best way of treatment using different type of surgical management.