Stack Splinting Versus Kirschner Wire Treatment in Acute Closed Mallet Finger Doyle I

Abstract

Introduction: Mallet injuries are common and usually treated conservatively. Various systematic reviews have found a lack of evidence regarding the best management, and it is still unclear. Objective: To evaluate the treatment efficacy of Stack Splinting compared to a Kirschner wire immobilization of acute closed mallet finger Doyle I. Methods: From March 2019 to February 2020, 41 patients with acute close mallet finger Doyle I were treated; 19 patients were treated with Kirschner wire and 22 with Stack splinting for a mean of 6 weeks. The average patient age at the time of the injury was 43 years. Results: Twenty-eight males and 13 females were in this study. Among them, 17 patients were injured in the little finger, 15 in the middle finger, and 9 in the ring finger. Twenty-seven of injuries suffered an aggression, 11 from falling, and 3 from sports injuries. All the fingers had typical mallet malformation. Seventeen patients treated with Kirschner wire completed the treatment with full recovery, only 7 patients treated with Stack splint completed the treatment and 15 treated with Stack splint had relapse on mallet injury. Conclusion: Kirschner wire treatment is a simple procedure, and proves in this study that has better results in patients with acute closed mallet finger Doyle I compared to Stack splint.

A Novel Prolene Suture Pull-out Technique Combined with Anchor Technique for the Treatment of Tendinous Mallet Finger

“…Closed tendonogenic mallet fingers are typically treated with splints or braces to immobilize the distal interphalangeal joint in hyperextension for 6 weeks, with generally positive outcomes. However, a study conducted by Velez 6 revealed that only seven out of 22 patients treated with splints completed the entire treatment process, and 15 of those experienced injury recurrence. The splint treatment failure rate for mallet fingers was as high as 68.2%.…”