Clinical Study on Free Tendon Graft and Staged Tendon Graft for the Flexor Tendon Injury in Zone II

Kang, Eung Shick; Hahn, Soo Bong; Lee, Woo Hyeong

Abstract

Nineteen patients with twenty six fingers were admitted to the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine with Zone II flexor tendon injury of the fingers during a period of 9 years from January 1980 to December 1988. 17 cases received free tendon graft and 9 cases received staged tendon graft. The result of long term follow-up of these patients are as follows. 1. The interval from tendon injury to tendon graft did not influence the operational result. 2. The main factor influencing operational result was flexion deformity whieh was in turn deeply related to preoperational passive range of motion. 3. Due to the relative anatomic simplicity, the thumb had better results after treatment than the other fingers. 4. Satisfactory results were obtained with free tendon graft in most of the Pre-operational Grade I group, good soft tissue without scarring or joint contracture, whereas in the Grade II group and above, complicated with scarring, joint damage or nerve injury, free tendon graft resulted only in 33 % success. 5. In Grade II group and above, free tendon graft resulted only in 33% success whereas 71% of staged tendon graft resulted in good or excellent results. This suggested that staged tendon graft had better operational results than free tendon graft in cases of severe tendon injury.