Malunion of Hand Fracture eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: Malunion may be defined as healing of a fracture in an abnormal (nonanatomic) position. In the hand, it presents a combined functional and aesthetic problem. The management of malunion of hand fractures is more complex than the management of malunion of fractures elsewhere in the skeleton. Good hand function depends on joint mobility, sensibility, good skin coverage, adequate vascularity, and the gliding of a complex flexor and extensor tendon mechanism. Preexisting problems related to any of these factors may limit the usefulness of the digit, and surgical intervention can cause additional scarring and dysfunction. As a consequence, the management of malunion in the hand is predicated on a careful analysis of the risks and benefits of surgical intervention and on the functional goals and the likelihood that the operation can achieve them.
Synonyms and related keywords: malunited hand fractures, deformed hand, phalangeal malunion, metacarpal malunion, carpal malunion, poorly healed hand fracture, nonunion of hand fracture, hand fracture nonunion, hand malalignment, hand malrotation, hand shortening, abnormal anatomic alignment of the hand, phalangeal fracture, pseudoclawing
Lakshmanan, Damodaran & Sher 2006