Wrist Tuberculosis-experience From Eighteen Cases: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background Wrist tuberculosis is a rare disease, easy to cause misdiagnosis, delay treatment and lead to poor prognosis. In this study, the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of 18 cases of wrist tuberculosis were analyzed retrospectively. Methods We conducted a retrospective study investigating tuberculosis of the wrist, diagnosed in 18 patients from August 2013 to November 2018. Puncture biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. The study includes 11 males and 7 females, and 8 left and 10 right wrists. The average age was 53.5 ± 18.3 years and ranged from 15 to 81 years. The disease course was 1 to 42 months, with an average of 15.1 ± 11.3 months. Eighteen patients were treated with surgery and chemotherapy, 3 patients with severe bone defect were treated with wrist fusion, and 15 patients were treated with focus removal. The Gartland and Werley score, DASH score, the range of motion (ROM), grip strength, and imaging examinations were used to evaluate the postoperative recovery of the patients. Results Eighteen patients were followed up for 15 to 77 months, with an average follow up of 39.7 ± 15.3 months. The ESR and CRP levels were normal for all patients after chemotherapy. No recurrence of tuberculosis was observed in any of the patients. Among the 15 focus removal, the Gartland and Werley scores at admission, two weeks of chemotherapy, 1 month after surgery, and the last follow-up were 21.73 ± 4.33, 18.60 ± 3.16,11.27 ± 2.79, and 5.07 ± 2.28, respectively; and DASH scores were 45.87 ± 5.58, 39.47 ± 4.72,22.67 ± 6.54, and 6.73 ± 2.94, respectively. The wrist range of motion (ROM) and grip strength improved significantly compared to those at admission. Among the three cases of wrist fusion, 2 were fixed with a steel plate and the fixation position of wrist joint was good. One case was fixed with Kirschner wire and resulted in a slightly deformed wrist joint. Conclusion For the patients with wrist tuberculosis, early diagnosis, preoperative and postoperative chemotherapy, thorough focus removal, and appropriate fixation of the affected limb can help restore the function of the affected wrist, reduce the recurrence rate, and improve the quality of life.

Clinical features and treatment outcome of wrist tuberculosis in adult- a retrospective study of 84 consecutive cases with minimum of 2 years follow up

“…Ely LW [4] firstly reported surgical treatment of wrist TB in 1920, two cases of wrist TB were successfully treated by radical debridement and spontaneous wrist arthrodesis with "rod" shaped tibial grafting and postoperative immobilization using plaster of Paris. Due to its rarity, studies on the treatment outcome have been rarely reported [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Surgical treatment is varied based on the involvement of bone, joint, and synovium, severity of the bony destruction, influence of hand/wrist function, and the effect on the patient's daily life, which include radical debridement of the lesion with or without bone grafting and immobilization using casting, plate fixation or external fixation.…”