The natural history of tarsal tunnel syndrome in diabetic subjects

Introduction: Tibial nerve entrapment is highly prevalent in diabetic subjects, resulting in significantly more neuropathic complaints and concomitant sensory disturbances. The study aim was to assess the impact of tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) and sensory loss at baseline on incident diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) in diabetic patients, since decompressing the tibial nerve might change the natural history of the disease. Methods: In this study, 113 subjects with TTS (69 bilateral, 23 left-sided and 21 right-sided) participating in the prospective Rotterdam Diabetic Foot Study were compared to 303 diabetic controls without TTS, regarding incident DFU. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox’s regression analysis were used to determine the independent hazard of baseline variables for new DFU. Results: The median observation period was 836.5 days (IQR, 459–1077.8). In bilateral TTS, 17.4% (95% CI: 8.4–26.3%) of subjects experienced DFU versus 8.3% (95% CI: 5.1–11.6%) in controls (left or right) during follow-up (p = 0.0036). In left-sided TTS, no subjects versus 6.2% (95% CI: 3.4–9.0%) in controls had DFUs (p = 0.243). Incident ulceration was seen in 14.3% (95% CI: −0.7% to −29.3%) of right-sided TTS subjects versus 4.1% (95% CI: 1.5–6.3%) in controls (p = 0.034). Besides HbA1c, diminished sensation at the hallux independently increased the risk of ulceration, in patients with (HR: 4.692, p = 0.003) and without (HR: 2.307, p = 0.002) prior DFU. Discussion: Elevated sensory thresholds in TTS render diabetic patients at a higher risk for DFU. With effective surgery, TTS is likely to be an amenable factor to potentially prevent diabetic foot disease and thereby reduce amputation risk. Level of evidence: II

Optimization of the Kinematic Chain of the Thumb for a Hand Prosthesis Based on the Kapandji Opposition Test

Ponènica presentada a International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering - CMBBE 2019The thumb plays a key role in the performance of the hand for grasp-ing and manipulating objects. In artificial hands the complex thumb’s kinematic chain (TKC) is simplified and its five degrees of freedom are reduced to only one or two with the consequent loss of dexterity of the hand. The Kapandji op-position test (KOT) has been clinically used in pathological human hands for evaluating the thumb opposition and it has also been employed in some previ-ous studies as reference for the design of the TKC in artificial hands, but with-out a clearly stated methodology. Based on this approaches, in this study we present a computational method to optimize the whole TKC (base placement, link lengths and joint orientation angles) of an artificial hand based on its per-formance in the KOT. The cost function defined for the optimization (MPE) is a weighted mean position error when trying to reproduce the KOT postures and can be used also as a metric to quantify thumb opposition in the hand. As a case study, the method was applied to the improvement of the TKC of an artificial hand developed by the authors and the MPE was reduced to near one third of that of the original design, increasing significantly the number of reachable po-sitions in the KOT. The metric proposed based on the KOT can be used directly or in combination with other to improve the kinematic chain of artificial hands

Optimal functional outcome measures for assessing treatment for Dupuytren's disease: A systematic review and recommendations for future practice

This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2013 Ball et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Background: Dupuytren's disease of the hand is a common condition affecting the palmar fascia, resulting in progressive flexion deformities of the digits and hence limitation of hand function. The optimal treatment remains unclear as outcomes studies have used a variety of measures for assessment. Methods: A literature search was performed for all publications describing surgical treatment, percutaneous needle aponeurotomy or collagenase injection for primary or recurrent Dupuytren’s disease where outcomes had been monitored using functional measures. Results: Ninety-one studies met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-two studies reported outcomes using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) ranging from validated questionnaires to self-reported measures for return to work and self-rated disability. The Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score was the most utilised patient-reported function measure (n=11). Patient satisfaction was reported by eighteen studies but no single method was used consistently. Range of movement was the most frequent physical measure and was reported in all 91 studies. However, the methods of measurement and reporting varied, with seventeen different techniques being used. Other physical measures included grip and pinch strength and sensibility, again with variations in measurement protocols. The mean follow-up time ranged from 2 weeks to 17 years. Conclusions: There is little consistency in the reporting of outcomes for interventions in patients with Dupuytren’s disease, making it impossible to compare the efficacy of different treatment modalities. Although there are limitations to the existing generic patient reported outcomes measures, a combination of these together with a disease-specific questionnaire, and physical measures of active and passive individual joint Range of movement (ROM), grip and sensibility using standardised protocols should be used for future outcomes studies. As Dupuytren’s disease tends to recur following treatment as well as extend to involve other areas of the hand, follow-up times should be standardised and designed to capture both short and long term outcomes

Recent Surgical and Medical Advances in the Treatment of Dupuytren’s Disease - A Systematic Review of the Literature

Dupuytren’s disease (DD) is a type of fibromatosis which progressively results in the shortening and thickening of the fibrous tissue of the palmar fascia. This condition which predominantly affects white-northern Europeans has been identified since 1614. DD can affect certain activities of daily living such as face washing, combing hair and putting hand in a glove. The origin of Dupuytren’s contracture is still unknown, but there are a number of treatments that doctors have come across throughout the years. Historically surgery has been the mainstay treatment for DD but not the only one. The objective is to make a structured review of the most recent advances in treatment of DD including the surgical and medical interventions. We have looked at the most relevant published articles regarding the various treatment options for DD. This review has taken 55 articles into consideration which have met the inclusion criteria. The most recent treatments used are multi-needle aponeurotomy, extensive percutaneous aponeurotomy and lipografting, injecting collagenase Clostridium histolyticum, INF-gamma and shockwave therapy as well as radiotherapy. Each of these treatments has certain advantages and drawbacks and cannot be used for every patient. In order to prevent this condition, spending more time and money in the topic is required to reach better and more consistent treatments and ultimately to eradicate this disease

Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies and Network Analysis-Based Integration with Gene Expression Data Identify New Suggestive Loci and Unravel a Wnt-Centric Network Associated with Dupuytren’s Disease

Dupuytren´s disease, a fibromatosis of the connective tissue in the palm, is a common complex disease with a strong genetic component. Up to date nine genetic loci have been found to be associated with the disease. Six of these loci contain genes that code for Wnt signalling proteins. In spite of this striking first insight into the genetic factors in Dupuytren´s disease, much of the inherited risk in Dupuytren´s disease still needs to be discovered. The already identified loci jointly explain ~1% of the heritability in this disease. To further elucidate the genetic basis of Dupuytren´s disease, we performed a genome-wide meta-analysis combining three genome-wide association study (GWAS) data sets, comprising 1,580 cases and 4,480 controls. We corroborated all nine previously identified loci, six of these with genome-wide significance (p-value < 5x10-8). In addition, we identified 14 new suggestive loci (p-value < 10−5). Intriguingly, several of these new loci contain genes associated with Wnt signalling and therefore represent excellent candidates for replication. Next, we compared whole-transcriptome data between patient- and control-derived tissue samples and found the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to be the top deregulated pathway in patient samples. We then conducted network and pathway analyses in order to identify protein networks that are enriched for genes highlighted in the GWAS meta-analysis and expression data sets. We found further evidence that the Wnt signalling pathways in conjunction with other pathways may play a critical role in Dupuytren´s disease

Pathophysiology of nerve regeneration and nerve reconstruction in burned patients

In extensive burns peripheral nerves can be involved. The injury to the nerve can be direct by thermal or electrical burns, but nerves can also be indirectly affected by the systemic reaction that follows the burn. Mediators will be released causing a neuropathy to nerves remote from the involved area. Involved mediators and possible therapeutic options will be discussed. In burned patients nerves can be reconstructed using autologous nerve grafts or nerve conduits. A key factor is an adequate wound debridement and a well-vascularized bed to optimize the outgrowth of the axons. Early free tissue transfers have shown promising results. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved

The role of proximal pulleys in preventing tendon bowstringing: Pulley rupture and tendon bowstringing

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to tendon bowstringing at the proximal phalanx. We hypothesised that: (1) a partial rupture of the A2 pulley leads to significant bowstringing, (2) the location of the A2 rupture, starting proximally or distally, influences bowstringing, (3) an additional A3 pulley rupture causes a significant increase in bowstringing following a complete A2 pulley rupture and (4) the skin and tendon sheath may prevent bowstringing in A2 and A3 pulley ruptures. Methods: Index, middle and ring fingers of eight freshly frozen cadaver arms were used. A loading device pulled with 100 N force was attached to the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP). The flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) was preloaded with 5 N. Bowstringing was measured and quantified by the size of the area between the FDP tendon and the proximal phalanx over a distance of 5 mm with ultrasonography (US). Results: US images showed that already a 30% excision of the A2 pulley resulted in significant bowstringing. In addition, a partial distal incision of the A2 pulley showed significantly more bowstringing compared to a partial proximal incision. Additional A3 pulley incision and excision of the proximal tendon sheath did not increase bowstringing. Subsequently, removing the skin did increase the bowstringing significantly. Conclusion: A partial A2 pulley rupture causes a significant bowstringing. A partial rupture of the A2 pulley at the distal rim of the A2 pulley resulted in more bowstringing than a partial rupture at the proximal rim. (C) 2014 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved