The aetiology of acute rupture of flexor tendon repairs in zones 1 and 2 of the fingers during early mobilization

Abstract

Five hundred and eight patients with 840 acute complete flexor tendon injuries in 605 fingers in zones 1 and 2 underwent surgery and postoperative mobilization in a controlled or early active motion (active flexion-active extension) regimen over a period of 7.5 years. Sixty-eight patients with 79 finger flexor divisions who did not complete the rehabilitation programme were excluded. Of the 440 patients with 728 complete tendon divisions in 526 fingers included in the study, 23 patients ruptured 28 tendon repair(s) in 23 fingers, an overall rupture rate of 4%. One hundred and twenty-nine fingers with zone 1 injuries had a rupture rate of 5%. Three hundred and ninety-seven fingers with zone 2 injuries had a rupture rate of 4%. This study analyses the 23 patients with flexor tendon rupture(s) to identify causative factors. In approximately half of these patients, tendon rupture followed acts of stupidity. The implications of this are discussed. There was no significant relationship between tendon rupture and the age or sex of the patients, smoking or delay between injury and tendon repair and there was no particular prevalence of zone 2C level injuries among the fingers in which tendon rupture occurred.