Portable mini-fluoroscopy improves operative efficiency in hand surgery

A paired case cohort study was performed using retrospective review of oper ative times for defined hand surgical procedures in an attempt to quantify efficiency with and without the use of portable fluoroscopy. Patients inclu ded in the study underwent 1 of 4 defined surgical procedures controlled to ensure similar operative technique (total wrist fusion, in situ 4-corner f usion, closed reduction/internal fixation using K-wires of phalangeal shaft fractures, and metacarpophalangeal or interphalangeal joint fusions using K-wires). One group used intraoperative standard film radiographs and the o ther used portable mini-fluoroscopy to examine hardware placement. Both gro ups were paired by operative procedure to eliminate procedure bias on overa ll operating time. Analysis demonstrated a 38% reduction in total operative time in the group using portable mini-fluoroscopy compared with standard i ntraoperative radiographs. (J Hand Surg 1999;24A:182-184. Copyright (C) 199 9 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.)