Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the factors affecting range of motion (ROM) with DDA2 external fixator and percutaneous pinning for intra-articular fracture of proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ). Methods: Ten fingers in ten cases were included this retrospective study with followed up longer than three months. Those fingers were investigated for waiting period till surgery, ROM of PIPJ and distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ), total ROM (tROM), gap (JG), and step-off (JS) of the joint surface at the time of final observation.
Results: Mean waiting period was 8.3 days, each extension and flexion angles were －11.0 and 89.5° in PIPJ, －6.0 and 60.5° in DIPJ, tROM was 133°, JG and JS were 0.8 and 0.7 mm, respectively. Each of correlation coefficient was between ROM in PIPJ with DIPJ (r=0.47), tROM with waiting period till surgery (r=－0.72), with JG (r=－0.01), and with JS (r=－0.09).
Conclusions: These findings indicated that those fingers were affected to waiting period till surgery and defected to postoperative fixation angle of PIPJ, by contrast, ROM was poorly correlated residual displacement of the fractured joint surface in the short term. Furthermore, those should be exercised aggressively DIPJ as well as PIPJ.
