Scaphoid Research Articles

Forensic medical characteristics of bone fractures of the hand

BACKGROUND: The forensic medical aspects of closed bone fractures of the hands are important in connection with the need to establish the nature, mechanism of occurrence, severity, and duration of these injuries.
 AIM: This study aimed to assess the severity of closed bone fractures of the hands based on the features of the formation, course, and outcomes.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fractures of wrist bones (n = 24) and metacarpal bones (n = 218) were examined in persons struck by blunt objects.
 RESULTS: Scaphoid bone fractures (81.8%) most often occurred on the side of the carpals, and fractures of other carpal bones are detected relatively less frequently (18.2%). With closed fractures of the navicular bone, especially in cases of late seeking medical help, complications such as a false joint and aseptic necrosis can be observed, causing pronounced radiocarpal joint dysfunction. In the metacarpal bones, periarticular fractures of the proximal epiphysis (49.1%) are often noted, followed by intra-articular fractures (26.6%) and periarticular diaphyseal fractures (20.6%). Complications such as finger contractures in chronic metacarpal bone fractures were most observed in intra-articular, comminuted with mixed, and transverse fractures.
 CONCLUSION: Isolated uncomplicated closed fractures of wrist bones have moderate severity. Moreover, scaphoid bone fractures, complicated by a false joint and aseptic necrosis, causing severe wrist joint dysfunction, and ultimately joint immobility in a functionally disadvantageous position, according to the criterion of total disability, qualify as severe injury. The severity of the harm caused to the health of complicated and uncomplicated isolated metacarpal fractures can be classified as moderate.

The impact of motion induced artifacts in the evaluation of HR-pQCT scans of the scaphoid bone: an assessment of inter- and intraobserver variability and quantitative parameters.

In-vivo high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) has high potential in scaphoid bone pathologies' scientific and clinical fields. The manufacturer's visual grading scale (VGS) classifies motion artifacts and divides scans into five quality grades ranging from grade 1 (good quality) to grade 5 (poor quality). This prospective study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the VGS and the influence of image quality on bone density and microarchitecture parameters for the scaphoid bone. Within one year, twenty-two patients with scaphoid fractures received up to six scans of their fractured and contralateral wrist (each consisting of three stacks) using second-generation HR-pQCT (total 256 scans). Three experienced observers graded each stack following the visual grading system, and inter- and intraobserver variability were assessed. The contralateral uninjured scaphoids were then compared pairwise within each patient to high-quality grade 1 scans to determine the influence of image quality on density and microarchitecture parameters. Inter- and intraobserver variability among the three observers significantly revealed fair to moderate agreement, P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively. Bone volume (BV) fraction tended to increase with poorer image quality but did not exceed four percent. Trabecular bone mineral density (Tb.BMD) decreased with poorer image quality but did not exceed five percent. Trabecular number and trabecular thickness significantly increased by 15.5% and 6.8% at grade five (P<0.001), respectively, and trabecular separation significantly decreased by 13.7% at grade five (P<0.001). This study revealed a considerable influence of motion on bone morphometry parameters of the scaphoid. Therefore, high image quality must be a central point in studies focusing on the histomorphometry of small objects. The high inter- and intraobserver variability limit the VGS. Future research may focus on other grading systems or automated techniques leading to more consistent and reproducible results. Currently, the use of microarchitectural analysis should be limited to cases without motion artefacts or, at most low graded motion artefacts.

Evaluation of Various Fixation Methods in Acute Scapholunate Dissociation, A Finite Element Study.

This study aimed to compare the outcomes of fixing scapholunate with pins and screws in parallel, convergent, and divergent orientations. In this computer simulation study, the CT scan images of a healthy subject were used to construct a 3D model of the wrist joint using MIMICS software. The imposed force to scaphoid and 3D model lunate bones, as well as the scapholunate angle and distance, were compared in different surgical techniques using parallel, divergent, and convergent pins and screws. In the absence of external force, the imposed stress applied to the scaphoid and lunate bones in cases of parallel pins and screws were 7.5MPa, 5.08MPa (pins), 1.134MPa, and 1.151MPa (screws), and 10.90MPa, 10.90MPa (pins), 9.7MPa, and 34.1MPa (screws) for 50N flexion force. The imposed stress in this approach is significantly lower compared to other interventions. Better outcomes were seen regarding scapholunate angle and scapholunate distance in using parallel pins or screws as well. In conclusion, implementing parallel pins and screws for scapholunate fixation had better results in terms of achieving carpal stability in scapholunate dissociation. However, fixation with pins and screws showed a statistically significant difference. Furthermore, a wide range of motion exercises with no additional forces can be used in the rehabilitation of patients undergoing this surgery.

Treatment of failed scaphoid nonunion fixation using free medial femoral condyle vascularized bone grafting.

Nonunion in scaphoid fractures may be considered a devastating problem. Union failure results in scaphoid deformity, resorption, and bone loss. Failed previous fixation decreases remaining bone stock and makes it more difficult to achieve union. Free vascularized graft represents a good option to achieve scaphoid union with revision fixation. Our study aims at the assessment of the management of scaphoid fractures non-union after failed previous fixation with the use of a free vascularized graft from the medial femoral condyle. This is a retrospective study including 16 cases with persistent scaphoid nonunion after previous fixation managed by vascularized medial femoral condyle grafts. The mean follow-up was 24 months. Previous surgical attempts and nonunion duration were noted. We evaluated the union rate, together with ROM, Scapholunate angles and pain scores. the union was achieved in 13 of 16 cases. Pain improved in all patients (10/16 complete relief). Wrist ROM at follow-up was an average of 50° flexion 48° extension. There was no change in the relationship between lunate and scaphoid with an average angle of 37.5° preoperative and 38° postoperative. Free vascularized MFC grafts are considered a reliable method to treat persistent nonunion of scaphoid fractures after failed previous operations. Short-term follow-up data showed considerable union rates with adequate pain relief and satisfactory ROM.

Non-traumatic scapholunate dissociation in a 10-year-old female: A case report

IntroductionSevere or minor repetitive trauma, inflammation, infection, tumors, and congenital ligamentous laxity have been etiologically implicated in scapholunate dissociation (SLD). While a few cases of patients with asymptomatic SLD have been reported in the literature, despite radiographically demonstrated widened scapholunate angles and rotatory subluxation of the scaphoid bone, these patients experienced only mild or no pain and no dorsal intercalated segment instability deformity. Here, we report the case of a monolateral non-traumatic SLD in a young 10-year-old girl that led to an important range of motion impairment with no wrist pain. The case represents a rarity for no previous history of trauma, young age, and no pain.Main symptoms and important clinical findingsIn our patient, an examination revealed a reduced range of motion in the left wrist and no pain during passive or active mobilization. The X-ray showed a 16 mm scapholunate gap in the anteroposterior roentgenogram. In this case, we suggested that congenital or developmental ligamentous laxity may be the cause of SLD. The diagnostic assessment was completed with a wrist MRI and CT.Therapeutic interventions and outcomesThe patient underwent an open dorsal surgery: we directly reduced the dislocated bones and fixed them with five percutaneous 1 mm k-wires. Finally, the scapholunate ligaments were repaired using bone-absorbable anchor sutures. The wrist was immobilized in a volar cast for 8 weeks. The patient was able to resume her daily life activities (included sport) within 12 months.ConclusionCarpus injuries are rare in children, and treatment, especially for young-age patients, is fraught with risks and remains controversial. Our case demonstrates that the patient has had a good clinical outcome. The physio-rehabilitation program for this patient has been of long duration. Most previous studies have shown excellent clinical results after an average of 2.4 years.

EP-86 Preventable errors in hand surgery: analysis of data from NHS England

Abstract Background Avoidable medical errors and never events represent a significant problem with negative consequences on the patient, the healthcare professionals, and the healthcare facilities. Hand surgery is a unique multidisciplinary speciality in which orthopaedics, plastic and general surgery are usually involved in the care of their patients, which makes this speciality prone to medical errors. The study highlights these preventable errors in hand surgery in NHS England. Methods We analysed hand surgery-related preventable medical errors published by the NHS England during the last ten years from 2012 till July 2021. Results Out of 3742 never events during the review period, only 50 never events related to hand surgery were found, representing (1.3%). The majority were under wrong-site surgery category 30 (60%), which included 17 (57%) wrong finger or digit surgery followed by five wrong digit or thumb injections, three wrong K wire placement, and three scaphoid bones were mistakenly removed during trapeziectomy. The second most common category was wrong incision 15 (30%), with 13 wrong finger incisions, two wrong carpal tunnel incisions for trigger finger release. Four patients had wrong procedures, including CTR rather than trigger finger or Dequervain release or an unnecessary carpal tunnel release in addition to one wrong hand tendon transfer. Lastly, only one patient had a wrong injection for carpal tunnel that was intended for another patient. Conclusions Hand surgery-related medical errors represent 1.3% of the whole Never Events reported. Awareness of these incidents will help prevent their occurrence in the future.

Slight Elongation of the Scaphoid and Cancellous Bone Graft Without Compression for Treatment of Scaphoid Nonunions.

In treating scaphoid nonunion, we have developed a technique of bone grafting and elongation of the scaphoid stabilizing the construct with K wires without compression. Bony union was achieved in the large majority of scaphoids as demonstrated on computed tomography (CT) scans. We advocate slight lengthening of the scaphoid with bone graft and K-wire fixation without compression of the grafted bone when treating scaphoid waist nonunion.

Long-term outcomes of trapeziectomy with Gore-Tex® ligament reconstruction for trapezio-metacarpal osteoarthritis

BackgroundTrapezio-metacarpal osteoarthritis is a common condition for which the reference standard treatment after failure of non-operative measures is trapeziectomy. Several techniques have been devised to avoid proximal migration of the first metacarpal bone (M1) with impingement on the scaphoid bone. We have developed a Gore-Tex® ligament reconstruction technique that avoids potential complications of tendon harvesting. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes of this technique. HypothesisTrapeziectomy with Gore-Tex® ligament reconstruction is a reliable option for providing lasting pain relief in patients with trapezio-metacarpal osteoarthritis. Materials and methodsWe conducted an observational, single-centre, single-surgeon, retrospective cohort study in consecutive patients managed by primary trapeziectomy. We excluded patients with revision trapeziectomy or less than 10 years’ follow-up. The primary outcome was event-free survival, defined as absence of revision surgery and of a numerical rating scale score for pain above 3/10. The secondary criteria were clinical tolerance of the Gore-Tex® implant and radiological changes. The patients were assessed at last follow-up either in person or during a teleconsultation. ResultsOf 78 included joints, 54 were assessed during patient visits and 24 by teleconsultation. At 10 years, the event-free survival rate was 91.3%, and 60.3% of patients were free of pain. Evidence of osteolysis was visible in 24% of patients. No patient experienced clinical intolerance of the Gore-Tex® implant. The mean Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 25.5. Metacarpo-phalangeal hyperextension was significantly increased, to 30.6°, and the mean trapezial space ratio was significantly decreased, to 39.1% of the baseline value. ConclusionLong-term event-free survival was high. Functional outcomes and pain were similar to previous reports. Trapeziectomy with Gore-Tex® ligament reconstruction obviates the need for tendon harvesting. Osteolysis developed in some patients but did not correlate with clinical intolerance. Long-term clinical and radiological monitoring is in order after Gore-Tex® implantation. Level of evidenceIV, Observational, single-centre, single-surgeon, retrospective cohort study.

Mid-term radiological results of intra-articular penetration of the screw used in scaphoid surgery.

Headless cannulated compression screw is often used in scaphoid fracture and nonunion surgery. In the volar and dorsal surgical approach, when adequate fluoroscopic imaging is not performed, the screw may protrude beyond the scaphoid bone and penetrate into the joint. When the length of the screw is too long, and it is noticed intraoperatively, it is replaced with a shorter screw. However, there is no clear consensus in the literature about the way to be followed when screw penetration is noticed in the postoperative period. The cases in which cannulated screw penetrated the radioscaphoid, scapholunate, and scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint on postoperative radiographs were included in this study. Sixteen patients (13 men and 3 women) were included. The mean postoperative follow up time was 35.1 months. There was scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint penetration in seven cases, scapholunate joint penetration in two cases, and radioscaphoid joint penetration in seven cases. Osteoarthritis developed in the scapholunate joint in two cases and in the radioscaphoid joint in two cases. Early revision surgery or waiting for the fracture to heal and removing the screw, or not performing secondary surgery are among the options. In this study, mid term radiological results of screws penetrating radioscaphoid, scapholunate, and scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joints were examined. It was observed that it may cause osteoarthritis development in radioscaphoid and scapholunate joints, but it did not cause osteoarthritis development in scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint. In the early postoperative period, revision surgery is recommended to prevent the development of osteoarthritis of screws penetrating the radioscaphoid and scapholunate joint.

Özel Radyografi Bulgusu ile Bilateral Triquetrum Kırığı

A 44-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with pain in both wrists because of falling. It was learned that both wrists of the patient were in dorsiflexion while falling, and there was no additional injury. The Glasgow coma scale score was 15; vital values were within normal limits. The patient had bilateral wrist tenderness, pain with ulnar deviation, and edema on the dorsal side. In addition, he had pain with palpation of the left snuff box. Examinations of the ulnar and radial nerves and arteries were normal. X-rays showed a triquetrum fracture in the right hand, and a triquetrum and scaphoid fracture in the left hand. While triquetrum fractures were not apparent on anterior-posterior radiographs, they were clearly visible on both lateral radiographs (Figure 1). With a short-arm splint for the right hand and a scaphoid cast for the left hand, the patient recovered without sequelae after 6 weeks of wrist immobilization.&#x0D; Triquetrum fractures are generally classified as dorsal cortex fractures and body fractures. Dorsal cortex fractures are more common and are usually seen as avulsion fractures. They occur with trauma, especially in the form of falling with wrist dorsiflexion. Our patient also fell with the same mechanism. To diagnose triquetrum fractures, lateral and oblique radiographs should be performed in addition to anterior-posterior radiographs. In particular, dorsal cortex fractures may not be visible on the anteroposterior radiograph, while the avulsion fragment is better seen on the lateral radiograph. The appearance of triquetral fractures on the lateral radiograph is called the "pooping duck sign" because of the typical shape it forms with the scaphoid and lunate bone (Figure 2). In our case, although both triquetrum fractures could not be clearly seen on the anterior-posterior radiograph, they were seen more clearly with typical findings on the lateral radiograph. Triquetrum fractures are typical of carpal bone fractures, which can be seen more prominently on lateral radiographs, and knowing the specific finding on the lateral radiograph may help with the diagnosis.

Effect of using a rehabilitation program in conjunction with the use of infrared radiation for a fracture of the scaphoid bone

LLLT is used for the treatment of scaphoid bone fracture. Laser energy is given as a dose of medicine with the right parameters and it is proved a blessing in the treatment of a scaphoid injury. The research aims to understand the use of the LLLT in the treatment of the scaphoid fracture. Also, clinical differences are observed while treating a group of patients. LLLT is performed with a laser diode with a wavelength of 905nm. At the end of the study, it is observed that the pain is decreased, the swelling is reduced and the range of the movement is increased in the patients. This study indicates that low-level laser therapy is an effective way of treatment for the scaphoid fracture. Moreover, when applied with a proper rehab program it increases the healing process of the bone.

Comparison between Vascular and Non-Vascular Bone Grafting in Scaphoid Nonunion: A Systematic Review.

Background: Scaphoid fractures correspond to 60% of all carpal fractures, with a risk of 10% to progress towards non-union. Furthermore, ~3% present avascular necrosis (AVN) of the proximal pole, which is one of the main complications related to the peculiar vascularization of the bone. Scaphoid non-union can be treated with vascularized and non-vascularized bone grafting. The aim of the study is to evaluate the rates of consolidation of scaphoid non-union treated using two types of grafts. Methods: A systematic review of two electronic medical databases was carried out by two independent authors, using the following inclusion criteria: non-union of the proximal pole of the scaphoid bone, treated with vascular bone grafting (VBG) or non-vascular bone grafting (NVBG), with or without the use of internal fixation, patients aged ≥ 10 years old, and a minimum of 12 months follow-up. Research of any level of evidence that reports clinical results and regarding non-union scaphoid, either using vascularized or non-vascularized bone grafting, has been included. Results: A total of 271 articles were identified. At the end of the first screening, 104 eligible articles were selected for the whole reading of the text. Finally, after reading the text and the control of the reference list, we selected 26 articles following the criteria described above. Conclusions: The choice of the VBG depends mainly on the defect of the scaphoid and on the surgeon’s knowledge of the different techniques. Free vascular graft with medial femoral condyle (MFC) seems to be a promising alternative to local vascularized bone grafts in difficult cases.

Dynamic tracking of scaphoid, lunate, and capitate carpal bones using four-dimensional MRI.

A preliminary exploration of technical methodology for dynamic analysis of scaphoid, capitate, and lunate during unconstrained movements is performed in this study. A heavily accelerated and fat-saturated 3D Cartesian MRI acquisition was used to capture temporal frames of the unconstrained moving wrist of 5 healthy subjects. A slab-to-volume point-cloud based registration was then utilized to register the moving volumes to a high-resolution image volume collected at a neutral resting position. Comprehensive in-silico error analyses for different acquisition parameter settings were performed to evaluate the performance limits of several dynamic metrics derived from the registration parameters. Computational analysis suggested that sufficient volume coverage for the dynamic acquisitions was reached when collecting 12 slice-encodes at 2.5mm resolution, which yielded a temporal resolution of and 2.6 seconds per volumetric frame. These acquisition parameters resulted in total in-silico errors of 1.9°±1.8° and 3°±4.6° in derived principal rotation angles within ulnar-radial deviation and flexion-extension motion, respectively. Rotation components of the carpal bones in the radius coordinate system were calculated and found to be consistent with earlier 4D-CT studies. Temporal metric profiles derived from ulnar-radial deviation motion demonstrated better performance than those derived from flexion/extension movements. Future work will continue to explore the use of these methods in deriving more complex dynamic metrics and their application to subjects with symptomatic carpal dysfunction.

Anatomical and radiological description of ligament insertions on the radial aspect of the scaphoid bone

Anatomical studies on the radial side of the scaphoid mention inter-ligamentous connections, but without detailed description of their relations to one another. The purpose of this study was to provide an anatomical and radiological description of the ligamentous structure on the radial side of the scaphoid. High-field 3-Tesla 3D MRI scans of 7 cadaveric formaldehyde-fixed wrists were performed to assess the presence and location of each ligament. Dissection was performed in 10 wrists under microscopy on the radial side to assess the dimensions, anatomical variations and angles between ligaments in various wrist positions during in intracarpal pronation/supination, flexion/extension and ulnar/radial deviation. This study confirmed that the same ligament configuration was found on MRI and on dissection. The scaphotrapezial ligament, dorsal intercarpal ligament and radial collateral ligament fibers merge along the dorsal ridge of the scaphoid. The fibers of the radial collateral and radioscaphocapitate ligaments could be distinguished in only 4/10 specimens. Wrist position changes from intracarpal pronation to supination produced major changes in angle between the scaphotrapezial and dorsal intercarpal ligaments, while other position changes affected this angle only slightly. 3D MRI sequences allow these structures to be systematically analyzed in case of scapholunate instability. Further studies should be conducted to assess the biomechanical properties of these ligaments and the clinical consequences of isolated injury in this region.

Scaphoid Fracture Detection by Using Convolutional Neural Network.

Scaphoid fractures frequently appear in injury radiograph, but approximately 20% are occult. While there are few studies in the fracture detection of X-ray scaphoid images, their effectiveness is insignificant in detecting the scaphoid fractures. Traditional image processing technology had been applied to segment interesting areas of X-ray images, but it always suffered from the requirements of manual intervention and a large amount of computational time. To date, the models of convolutional neural networks have been widely applied to medical image recognition; thus, this study proposed a two-stage convolutional neural network to detect scaphoid fractures. In the first stage, the scaphoid bone is separated from the X-ray image using the Faster R-CNN network. The second stage uses the ResNet model as the backbone for feature extraction, and uses the feature pyramid network and the convolutional block attention module to develop the detection and classification models for scaphoid fractures. Various metrics such as recall, precision, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) are used to evaluate our proposed method’s performance. The scaphoid bone detection achieved an accuracy of 99.70%. The results of scaphoid fracture detection with the rotational bounding box revealed a recall of 0.789, precision of 0.894, accuracy of 0.853, sensitivity of 0.789, specificity of 0.90, and AUC of 0.920. The resulting scaphoid fracture classification had the following performances: recall of 0.735, precision of 0.898, accuracy of 0.829, sensitivity of 0.735, specificity of 0.920, and AUC of 0.917. According to the experimental results, we found that the proposed method can provide effective references for measuring scaphoid fractures. It has a high potential to consider the solution of detection of scaphoid fractures. In the future, the integration of images of the anterior–posterior and lateral views of each participant to develop more powerful convolutional neural networks for fracture detection by X-ray radiograph is probably important to research.

Preiser disease in a child before complete ossification of the scaphoid: a case report

BackgroundThe pathology of Preiser disease remains controversial, and treatment for Preiser disease has not yet been standardised. Preiser disease itself is rare, and although it can be found in children, its presentation is even rarer; therefore, the treatment of paediatric patients with Preiser disease is more unclear than adult cases.Case presentationA 10-year-old boy who complained of left wrist pain was diagnosed with Preiser disease from osteosclerosis and segmentation on plain radiography and computed tomography, and low signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images on magnetic resonance imaging. Because the patient was a child whose scaphoid was immature and pre-ossified, we chose a conservative immobilisation treatment with a thumb spica cast followed by an orthosis. After 3 months of immobilisation, the distal pole of the scaphoid showed remodelling. One year after the initial visit, plain radiography showed remodelling of the whole scaphoid, although magnetic resonance T1-weighted image showed that the recovery of intensity change was only observed in the distal pole. Two years after the initial visit, both plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a normal appearance and 5 years after the initial visit; the scaphoid bone showed normal development.ConclusionsThis is the first case report of Preiser disease before complete ossification of the scaphoid; therefore, we cannot say anything definitive about the treatment strategy. However, our experience suggests that conservative treatment may provide a cure for Preiser disease in children with immature ossification of the scaphoid without carpal collapse.

Septic arthritis of the wrist and the hand: – An Emergency department case study

Joint pain is a common presentation in the Emergency department. There are countless potential causes for pain and swelling in a joint. Septic arthritis is a true joint emergency as it can lead to rapid, irreversible destruction of the joint. If not diagnosed early this infection can lead to considerable functional deficit. Our case is unique in that our patient presented to the Emergency department requesting referral to the fracture clinic for continued management of a suspected scaphoid bone fracture but was found to have Neisseria gonorrhoea causing septic arthritis of the joint. This case highlights the importance of accurate history taking, clinical examination and assessment of the patients presenting with joint pain.

Morphological and Morphometrical Analysis of Dry Human Scaphoid Bone in South Indian Population and Its Clinical Implications

Introduction: Scaphoid is the second largest among all the carpal bones, which is present on the radial side of the proximal row of carpal bones. Scaphoid Fractures are the most common of the carpal bone injuries. Scaphoid Fractures heal slowly due to thelimited blood circulation of the bone&#x0D; Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 20 Scaphoid Bones,which were collected from the Department of Anatomy,Saveetha dental college. By using digital vernier callipers,morphological and morphometrical parameters (length and breadth)of scaphoid bones were measured,tabulated and statistically analysed.&#x0D; Results: All the 20 scaphoids showed the presence of tubercle. Double foramina in the main dorsal sulcus were seen in 7 right and 6 left specimens. No significant differences were found in lengths and breadths of the bone.In the present study, at least one foramen is found in all the main dorsal sulcus and the number of specimens showing presence of double foramen in the main dorsal sulcus are 7 right and 6 left specimens.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study showed that no significant morphological and morphometric differences were found between right and left sides. The data obtained in the present study will be helpful for the hand surgeons, radiologists and clinical anatomists for surgical reduction to follow up the reunion of fractured scaphoid bones.

Comparision between functional outcome of scaphoid fracture treated by open reduction internal fixation vs percutaneous fixation

Scaphoid bone fracture is one of the commonest carpal bone fractures. It is predominantly seen in young population. Unstable or displaced scaphoid fractures can be treated either by primary use of cast immobilization alone, by use of Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) technique or by percutaneous fixation with Herbert screw under direct C arm fluoroscopic guidance. This study aims to review clinical, radiological and function outcome following ORIF technique Vs Percutaneous Fixation Technique in scaphoid fractures.Cases of acute scaphoid fractures who came to our department and met inclusion and exclusion criterias were identified and included in this study. Clinical details of these patients were obtained and scaphoid radiographs were taken. Injuries were graded as per Herbert and Fisher Classification. All our cases underwent grip-strengthening exercises and relevant physiotherapy Clinico-radiological details of our cases were obtained at each follow-up. Final follow-up of our cases was performed using Modified Mayo Wrist Score (MMWS). Grip strength was graded as per Medical Research Council (MRC) scale and range of motion was assessed using goniometer.A total of 40 cases were enrolled in our study. 16 patients (40% cases) underwent percutaneous herbert screw fixation and rest of our cases underwent open reduction and internal fixation. Radiological union in cases treated with percutaneous fixation was faster as compared to cases treated by ORIF. Also patients treated with percutaneous method demonstrated higher mean range of motion score, mean grip strength score and activity score.In our study excellent results have been obtained in cases treated with percutaneous approach in terms of post-operative morbidity and this approach also allows earlier return to sports and work thereby necessitating importance of this approach over ORIF approach in a developing resource poor country like India.

Cross-Sectional Areas and Volumes Occupied by Implants in Simulated Scaphoid Fractures

This study determined the volume of bone replaced by an implant at the proximal and distal poles of simulated scaphoid fractures. We also measured the cross-sectional area of the implant relative to the cross-sectional area of the scaphoid at 2 different simulated fracture locations. Microcomputed tomograhy scans of 7 cadaveric scaphoids were used to create 3-dimensional models in which transverse proximal pole and midwaist fractures were simulated. The volume occupied by 5 commonly used implants and the cross-sectional area occupied at the surface of the fractures was measured using a computer modeling software. For simulated proximal pole fractures, the implants replaced 1.5%-7.4% of the fracture cross-sectional area and 1.2%-6.4% of the proximal fragment bone volume. For midwaist fractures, the implants replaced 1.5%-6.8% of the fracture cross-sectional area and 1.8%-4.6% of the proximal pole volume. Although the different implant designs replaced different areas and volumes, all these differences were small and below 4%. This study provides data that relate to one aspect of fracture healing, specifically, the surface area occupied by 5 different implants in proximal and midwaist scaphoid fractures as well as the volume of bone replaced by the implant. As opposed to the impression provided by 2-dimensional planar imaging, when studied using a 3-dimensional model, the volume and surface area replaced by an implant represent a minimal percentage of scaphoid bone, suggesting a negligible clinical effect.