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Biomedical subjects

R C Wray

Publications and source records attributed to R C Wray.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A biomechanical study of the collateral ligaments of the proximal interphalangeal joint.

Collateral ligament injuries of the proximal interphalangeal joint are common. A significant number of these injuries result in complete rupture of the ligament. The forces that damage the ligaments are abduction and adduction stresses. Previous studies have investigated laxity, angulation, and patterns of failure, but detailed biomechanical rupture studies are scant. Sixty-eight proximal interphalangeal joints from fresh human cadaver fingers (average age, 67 years) were stressed at velocities of 1 mm/sec, 4 mm/sec, and 10 mm/sec. Sectioning studies were also done. Four distinct rupture patterns were noted: midsubstance tear, proximal detachment, distal detachment, and distal avulsion fracture. The prevalence of these patterns differed with the rate at which the ligaments were stressed. Lower speeds tended to produce midsubstance tears, while higher speeds yielded distal damage. The study confirmed that the lateral collateral ligament is the primary restraint against medial-lateral stress and that other supporting structures (the extensor hood and the palmar plate) did not contribute significantly to side-to-side stability.

Analysis of Variance

Simultaneous dorsal trapezium-scaphoid and trapezoid-carpal subluxations.

Trapezium-scaphoid-trapezoid subluxations and trapezoid-capitate-scaphoid-trapezium subluxations or dislocations are rare. A single case combining these two injuries is presented. The mechanism may have been axial loading in extension or flexion. Two modes of treatment, closed and open, were needed for the two injuries.

Adolescent

Long-term patient satisfaction following reduction mammoplasty.

This study documents that reduction mammoplasty is a procedure with excellent long-term patient satisfaction. This has not been previously well documented. One hundred nine patients after reduction mammoplasty were surveyed by questionnaire. Results of the questionnaire indicated that the majority of patients were pleased with their breast size and breast shape. The majority had equal-sized breasts. Most were comfortable after surgery and had an easier time buying clothes. Ninety-four percent of patients would have the procedure again. Multiple techniques for reduction mammoplasty were used and there were no significant differences with the exception of a change in nipple sensation. Nipple sensation was best preserved by using the inferior pedicle technique.

Adult

A comparison of conventional and low-bleed implants in augmentation mammaplasty.

We conducted a double-blind, retrospective comparison between low-bleed and non-low-bleed (conventional) mammary implants because no controlled study has shown a difference in the degree of capsular contracture between the two types of implants. Twenty-five patients had conventional implants and form group A; twenty-eight patients had low-bleed implants and form group B. All patients had submuscular augmentation. The mean Baker score was 1.51 for group A and 1.04 for group B for the entire patient population and 1.65 for group A and 1.07 for group B for patients with more than 1 year of follow-up. For the entire population, 34 percent of group A and 3.6 percent of group B had a Baker score of 2 or greater. For the population with more than 1 year of follow-up, 42 percent of group A and 7 percent of group B had a Baker score of 2 or greater. There was significantly (p less than 0.007) less contracture with the low-bleed implants for the entire population as well as for those patients with greater than 1 year of follow-up (p less than 0.015).

Adolescent

Treatment of delayed union, nonunion, and malunion of the phalanges of the hand.

Nonunion occurs in less than 1% of phalangeal fractures. Despite this rarity we have accumulated a series of 14 proximal and middle phalangeal delayed unions, nonunions, and malunions. All patients but 1 were initially treated by a physician other than the senior author. All patients developed loss of active motion following their primary treatment. Secondary treatment was by open reduction and internal fixation with Kirschner wires. The mean and median total active motion before secondary treatment were 130 and 90 degrees, respectively. Following secondary treatment, the total active motion increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to a mean of 215 degrees and a median of 255 degrees. We recommend secondary treatment of delayed union, nonunion, and malunion of phalanges of the hand. Open reduction and internal fixation followed by early (two to three weeks) active motion leads to a significant improvement in finger function.

Adolescent

Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture in the palm.

A 54-year-old, right-handed man developed spontaneous rupture of his flexor digitorium profundus at the level of the lumbrical. There was no history to suggest rheumatoid arthritis, abnormality of the carpal bones, fractures, or gout. No evidence of any of these disorders was found at the time of surgery. He was treated with a "mini" interposition flexor tendon graft and regained normal motion. Although the cause of his tendon rupture is unclear, we postulate that the blood supply to the tendon at the level of the lumbrical was compromised by an undefined mechanism.

Finger Injuries

Winnowing.

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Clinical Competence

Operative and nonoperative treatment of mallet finger.

Forty-four patients with 47 mallet fingers were reviewed to compare the results of operative (24 fingers) and nonoperative (23 fingers) treatment. Distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint extension, DIP flexion, total active motion of the DIP joint, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) extension, PIP flexion, total active motion of the PIP joint, cold intolerance, and persistent pain after treatment were not significantly different in patients treated by surgery or splinting. Secondarily, we compared fingers with and without a fracture of the distal phalanx, and the variables mentioned above were also unaffected by the presence or absence of fractures of the distal phalanx. About one-third of all patients had decreased PIP joint motion following treatment. In about 16% of all patients this loss of PIP motion was more important in determining finger function than DIP motion or symptoms related to the DIP joint. We recommend careful examination of the PIP joint and repeated monitoring of the joint motion. If the PIP joint becomes stiff, therapy and splinting should be used to minimize permanent stiffness. We believe a prospective randomized comparison of operative and nonoperative treatment of mallet finger should be conducted. Such a study would help determine the ideal treatment for mallet finger.

Exercise Therapy

The time has come.

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Ethics, Medical

Repair of sensory nerves distal to the wrist.

Treatment of patients with severed distal sensory nerves is an exercise in simultaneous gratification and frustration. The gratification comes from realizing that the results of distal sensory nerve repair exceed those obtained after repair of other nerves. The frustration follows from the knowledge that truly normal sensation virtually never follows the most successful repair.

Humans

Comparison of early passive motion and immobilization after flexor tendon repairs.

Thirty-one flexor tendon repairs in 30 patients managed by early passive motion were retrospectively compared with 31 flexor tendon repairs in 30 patients managed by 3 weeks of postoperative immobilization. Repairs were performed by several surgeons, including plastic surgical residents. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups comparing age, zone of injury, number of tendons repaired, nature of injury, or associated injuries. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups when total active and total passive range of motion were compared for repairs in zone I, zone II, zones III and IV, and all zones combined. In the early passive motion group in zone II, there were 12 percent excellent results, 15 percent good results, 23 percent fair results, and 50 percent poor results. In the immobilization group, there were 18 percent excellent results, 8 percent good results, 23 percent fair results, and 53 percent poor results. There was no significant difference between the two groups (p less than 0.05).

Finger Joint

The effects of suturing technique and vessel size on patency after microarterial repair.

According to most of the literature, sutures for microarterial repair must include the intima to prevent an "intimal flap" and occlusion of the anastomosis. Some authors have said that vessel diameter affects patency rate. This study was designed to evaluate these two statements. The femoral arteries (about 1.0 mm in diameter), the epigastric arteries (about 0.5 mm), and the central ear arteries (about 0.5 mm) of rabbits were studied. Alternate arteries were repaired using conventional suturing techniques or sutures which included the adventitia and media but excluded the intima. The patency rate in the 1 mm or 0.5 mm vessels was not affected by inclusion or exclusion of the intima from the microarterial repair. The patency rate for conventionally repaired arteries 1 mm in diameter was significantly higher than that for 0.5 mm arteries.

Abdominal Muscles

Factors influencing final range of motion in the fingers after fractures of the hand.

We evaluated 123 patients in which we treated 150 fractured fingers primarily. Sixty-seven percent of these fractured fingers required open reduction with internal fixation; the remainder had closed reduction with internal or external fixation, or immediate arthrodeses. Active and passive range-of-motion (ROM) exercises were usually begun within 3 days after injury. The active and passive ROM of all joints of each finger in the involved hand were measured at regular intervals until no further change in ROM occurred. An associated crush injury, a flexor or extensor tendon injury, or a skin loss (each) caused a significantly more frequent decrease in the final ROM of the unfractured fingers of the same hand. An associated joint injury, more than one fracture per finger, a crush injury, a flexor or extensor tendon injury, or a skin loss (each) caused a significant decrease in the ROM of the fractured fingers. After treatment of a simple fracture, the ROM in both the fractured and the unfractured fingers was essentially normal.

Adolescent