Flexor Tendon Injuries in Children: Factors Influencing Prognosis

Abstract

We reviewed a series of 44 children with 58 fingers involved, 21 of them occurring in the digital canal. The core stitch was performed according to the Kessler modified technique. The mean follow-up at the time of review was 3 years. The return of total active motion (TAM) in the interphalangeal joints was evaluated with the Strickland formula. Results were excellent in 84%, good in 5%, fair in 2%, and poor in 9%. Influencing factors were children younger than 5 years, lesions in zone II, both tendon injuries in the digital canal, and the type of immobilization (below-elbow splint). Rupture occurred in 9%, especially in the very young children with a short postoperative immobilization. Variables such as the early-mobilization program, the length of the postoperative immobilization period, or concurrent digital nerve injury had no significant effect on the final result.