Download PDF
J Wrist Surg 2018; 07(04): 344-349
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1608851
Procedure
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Outcomes of the Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy Using a Dynamic Compression Plate on the Ulnar Surface of the Ulna

Ahmed Elgammal
1   Department of Orthopedics, Ain Shams University Hospitals, Al Waili, Cairo, Egypt
2   Department of Hand Surgery, Helios Kliniken, München, Germany
,
Bernhard Rozée
3   Department of Hand Surgery, Hessing Klinik, Augsburg, Germany
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
Further Information

Publication History

06 May 2017

20 October 2017

Publication Date:
14 December 2017 (online)

   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of patients with ulnar impaction syndrome treated with diaphyseal osteotomy using freehand technique and fixation with ulnar osteotomy compression plate placed on the ulnar surface of the ulna.

Materials and Methods A retrospective chart review of patients with ulnar impaction syndrome between 2010 and 2014 identified 38 patients. The following clinical data were observed: patient age, sex, range of motion, grip strength, visual analog scale (VAS), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score, radiological assessment, and complications. The mean follow-up period is 30 months. Eleven patients were excluded from the study.

Results Compared with the contralateral side, the 27 patients included in this study attained 93 to 96% of wrist and forearm motion and 81% of the grip strength. The average DASH score was 18 in a mean follow-up period of 30 months. Three patients required plate removal and one case showed nonunion and a further operation was needed. Two patients reported persistent ulnar-sided wrist pain.

Conclusion We concluded that placing the ulnar osteotomy plate on the ulnar surface of the ulna is a quicker procedure, with less soft tissue dissection and irritation, and very high union rate.

Level of Evidence Level IV.

Keywords

ulnar shortening osteotomy - ulnar impaction syndrome - triangular fibrocartilage complex - chondromalacia