Original Article · Open access
Is tendinitis in volar plating related to the dorsally protruding screw length and its compartment?
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the length of the protruded screws from the dorsal cortex and extensor tendon damage in all compartments.
Patients and methods: Between May 2020 and April 2021, a total of 29 patients (13 males, 16 females; mean age: 52.3±13.0 years; range, 30 to 78 years) who were operated and followed in our clinic for AO A2 and A3 distal radius fractures were included in this prospective study. Surface ultrasound (US) imaging was made to the dorsal sides of both wrists of the operated patients at different timepoints postoperatively. The length of screws with radius dorsal cortex penetration and the presence of tendinitis were recorded.
Results: In 15 of 23 patients, the presence of 29 protruding screws was accompanied by tendinitis and, in eight patients, no tendinitis was observed, despite the partial protrusion of screws. A statistically significant correlation was found between the screw protrusion and presence of tendinitis (p<0.05). The number of protruding screws and tendinitis were seen mostly in the second compartment. There was a statistically significant correlation between the protruding screw length of >1.6 mm and the presence tendinitis (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Dorsal cortex screw protrusions in the application of volar plate for distal radius fractures can cause tendinitis. Screw protrusions occur more frequently in the second compartment and the development of tendinitis in this compartment is associated with a screw length of >1.6 mm. Screw penetration can be easily identified with intraoperative US to prevent tendinitis and potential tendon ruptures.
Declarations
Ethics Committee Approval
The study protocol was approved by the Hitit University Faculty of Medicine Clinical Research Ethics Committee (date: 05.05.2020. no: 231). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed Consent
A written informed consent was obtained from each patient.
Data Sharing Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: N.F.; Data curation: E.H.; Formal analysis: T.A.; Investigation: E.H.; Methodology: S.Z.; Resources: N.F.; Supervision: S.Z.; Writingoriginal draft: T.A.; Writing-review & editing: T.A.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
Financial Disclosure
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.