Two-stage flexor tendon reconstruction of the fingers in chronic injuries: the history of this a unique method of treatment

Abstract

In 1965 the American surgeon J.M. Hunter published a pioneering work on a new method of treatment (in 2 stages) of finger flexor tendons complex injuries using a special artificial tendon implant at the 1st stage to prepare the fibrosynovial canal. After replacement of the prosthesis with a tendon graft, the walls of the new case provided a nourishing and sliding surface for the tendon graft. The method of two-stage tendon grafting was widely used all over the world. The followers of J.M. Hunter's method are constantly modifying (not substantially) the original method and continue discussions about this treatment method. However, the basic principles of two-stage tendoplasty formulated by the American surgeon remain relevant to this day. The authors analyzed the changes in the treatment tactics and technique of two-stage tendoplasty that occurred during the last decades. J.M. Hunter provided hand surgeons with a unique method of treatment, which made it possible to help the most complex patients who were previously considered incurable.