Lengthening of Finger Stump and Elimination of Phalanges and Metacarpal Bone Shortening

The experience in treatment of 369 patients with stumps, shortenings and defects of finger phalanges and metacarpal bones is presented. Distraction method alone and distraction with combination of bone autoplasty were used. Thirty patients (8,1%) with amputated stumps, 77 patients (20,9%) with ununited and 93 patients (25,2%) with malunited fractures were treated using distraction only. In 42 patients (11,4%) with amputation stumps, 29 patients (7,9%) with pseudoarthroses, 31 patients (8,4%) with ununited, 28 patients (7,6%) with malunited fractures and in 39 patients (10,6%) with the defects of articular ends and metacarpal bones the distraction in combination with bone autoplasty was performed. Long term results were evaluated in 281 patients (76,1%). Good results were achieved in 163 patients (58%), satisfactory - in 111 (39,5%) and unsatisfactory - in 7 patients (2,5%).