Management of Patients With Post-Traumatic Wrist Flexor Contracture by Carpectomy and Wrist Fusion

Abstract

Post-traumatic wrist flexor contracture is most commonly seen in major trauma affecting the hand, wrist, and forearm. It produces debilitating complications affecting the quality of life, often requiring multiple staged surgeries, and prolonged rehabilitation with physiotherapy to yield functional improvement. Wrist flexion contracture correction is the first surgery performed to reduce the deformity and improve the functional status of the hand. Releasing the wrist flexion contracture due to stretch on the contracted structures could cause a vascular compromise of the hand and skin deficit, which needs flap cover. On the other hand, removing the carpal bones reduces the length of the extremity and makes the existing skin adequate, with the wrist in the neutral position. This procedure avoids the need for a flap and avoids the stretch of blood vessels in bringing the wrist to the neutral position. A retrospective study was performed on three patients who presented to our institution, i.e., Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India, and underwent carpectomy and wrist fusion for correction of post-traumatic wrist flexor contracture between December 2019 and July 2021, with follow-up extending to a maximum of 18 months. The three patients underwent prior surgeries at different hospitals following injury and later presented at our institution for further management and subsequently underwent surgeries and extensive rehabilitation to improve wrist and hand function. The patients underwent a staged procedure for correction of wrist contracture by soft tissue release and carpectomy, followed by wrist arthrodesis. Postoperatively, none of the patients had neurovascular complications or complications related to wound healing. Hence, carpectomy and wrist fusion are safe procedures to correct the wrist flexion contracture without complication and motivate the patient to undergo further surgeries to improve hand function.

Keywords: carpectomy; reconstruction; trauma; wrist flexor contracture; wrist fusion.