Pn. Soucacos et al., COMPLETE VERSUS INCOMPLETE NONVIABLE AMPUTATIONS OF THE THUMB - COMPARISON OF THE SURVIVAL RATE AND FUNCTIONAL RESULTS, Acta orthopaedica Scandinavica, 66, 1995, pp. 16-18
81 patients with 84 complete (55) or incomplete (29) nonviable amputat
ions of the thumb were studied to compare the survival rate and functi
onal results between the two groups. 3 of these patients had bilateral
thumb amputations. Of the 55 completely amputated thumbs, 43 survived
(78 percent), while of the 29 incomplete nonviable amputations, 25 we
re salvaged (86 percent). Excluding patients with an amputation at the
level of or distal to the interphalangeal (IP) joint, motion at the I
P joint which did not exceed 40 degrees flexion even when a secondary
procedure was done, did not show a statistical difference between the
2 groups. Average two-point discrimination was 14 mm for patients with
complete amputations and 11 mm for patients with incomplete nonviable
amputations. We conclude that incomplete nonviable amputations of the
thumb are associated with a higher survival rate and better sensibili
ty than complete thumb amputations, while motion at the IP joint does
not differ between the two groups of patients.