Outcome of Metacarpal Shaft Fractures treated with mini plates: A prospective study

Abstract

Introduction: Metacarpal fractures are among the most common fractures encountered in the Emergency Department. They can be treated by Conservative methods as well as operative methods. Operative methods usually lead to better clinical results. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical results using the Total Active Flexion score by the American Society of Hand Surgeons (ASSH) Aim of study: To evaluate the functional outcome of Metacarpal shaft fractures treated with Mini Plates Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary health care Centre from January 2020 to June 2021. Inclusion criteria were patients with closed, displaced metacarpal fractures of fingers 2 to 5. 50 patients were included in the study. Age was between 20-50 years Results: 50 patients were included in the study. Half (25) were males and half (25) were females. 80 percent of the patients (40) had fractures in the dominant hand. Total active flexion measured was excellent in 35 patients, good in 10 patients, and fair in 5 patients Conclusion: Use of Mini plates leads to early post-operative rehabilitation and good clinical outcome as measured by the Total active Flexion score given by ASSH.