A Prospective Study of Contracture of the Finger and its Management in a Tertiary Care Center.

Background: When the range of motion between two finger segments, both active and passive, is restricted, finger contracture occurs. The aim of this study is to investigate the best procedure to eliminate finger contracture and the functional and esthetic results of the different surgical procedures.

Materials and methods: A total of 31 patients with soft-tissue abnormalities of the hand were included in this prospective study. They underwent either contracture removal with K-wire and skin grafts or various flap procedures in the department of plastic surgery. Complaints of stiffness and discomfort were classified into five categories: none, mild, moderate, marked, and severe. The difficulty a person had in picking up objects, grasping, writing, etc., was used to determine the degree of disability. Absenteeism from work and surgical site infections were also recorded.

Results: The mean age was 20.25 years, with a mean age of 23.05 for men and 15.83 for women. Overall, most cases occurred in the age range of 3-10 years. For K-wire surgery with skin grafting, the typical time off work was 24 days. The average recovery time ranged from 15.2 days for skin grafts to 16.9 days for tenolysis, 28.33 days for groyne flaps, and 41 days for abdominal flaps. Of all cases, 12 (38.00%) had a fair result, 10 (31.04%) had a moderate result, and 9 (30.96%) had an excellent result.

Conclusion: The most feasible method for treating these situations, which offers the greatest potential for a functional and cosmetic result, is contracture reduction with skin grafting.