Comparative study on the treatment of mallet fingers: micro bone anchor combined with Kirschner wire versus only Kirschner wire

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of micro bone anchor combined with Kirschner wire and only Kirschner wire in the treatment of tendinous injuries of acute extensor tendon insertion and evaluate the difference between the two methods. Methods Forty-one patients were divided into two groups. One group was treated with Kirschner wire fixation and tendon suture, and the other group with micro bone anchor combined with Kirschner wire fixation. Perioperative conditions, postoperative finger movement and complications were recorded and the clinical efficacy was evaluated according to Crawford scoring system. Results All the patients were follow-up from 9 to 21 months with an average of 12.3 months. The good and excellent rate of postoperative total range of active motion of the distal interphalangeal joint and functional recovery from the micro bone anchor group was better than that from the only Kirschner wire group (P 0.05), but the incidence of incision complications in the only Kirschner wire group was higher than that in the micro bone anchor group (P<0.05). Conclusion Micro bone anchors provide a simple and effective surgical method for repairing the tendinous mallet deformity without avulsion fracture. Key words: Tendon injuries; Surgical procedures,operative; Mallet finger