Objective To investigate the effectiveness of ulnar shortening osteotomy combined with elastic suspension fixation for ulnar impaction syndrome caused by relatively long ulna. Methods Between October 2015 and August 2016, 3 cases of ulnar impaction syndrome were treated. One patient was male and 2 patients were females. The age was 32, 29, and 59 years, respectively. One patient was dislocation and impaction of distal radioulnar joint for more than 1 year after internal fixation due to ulnar and radial open fractures. Other patients had no trauma and surgery, but long-term manual history. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were 7, 5, and 5, respectively. Cooney wrist function scores were rated as poor. Preoperative X-ray measurements of the ulnar variance was 12.7, 9.0, and 8.7 mm, respectively. The ulna was transversely osteotomy and fixed with plate and screws. The distal radioulnar joint was elastic suspension fixed with mini plate. Results Postoperative X-ray film showed that the matching of the distal radioulnar joint had no significant difference compared with the contralateral side. All the incisions healed by first intention without complication such as neurovascular injury, infection, and dislocation of the distal radioulnar joint. The patients were followed up 27, 17, and 23 months, respectively. At last follow-up, X-ray film showed that all osteotomy segments achieved bony union without internal fixation failure. The VAS scores were 2, 0, and 1, respectively, and the Cooney wrist function scores were rated as excellent. Conclusion The ulnar shortening osteotomy combined with elastic suspension fixation can correct the ulna variation, avoid the instability of the distal radioulnar joint caused by the extensive dissection of the tissue around the ulnar, and avoid stiffness of the joints caused by rigid fixation. It is an ideal treatment for ulna impaction syndrome.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of sequential plate internal fixation in the correction of Madelung deformity after ulnar osteotomy and shortening. Methods The clinical data of 13 patients with Madelung deformity admitted between September 2015 and July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 5 males and 8 females with an average age of 18.3 years ranging from 17 to 23 years. The disease duration ranged from 12 to 24 months, with an average of 17 months. Three cases had a clear history of trauma. All patients had external radial deviation deformity and limited movement of the ulnar deviation, and the ulnar impact pain was significant during ulnar deviation movement; 9 patients had limited wrist joint supination movement, and the supination movement was normal. In the first stage, ulnar osteotomy and shortening combined with external fixator were used to correct wrist deformity in 13 patients. After operation, bone transfer was performed 6 times per day, with adjustments made every 4 hours, which was 1 mm per day. After the osteotomy was in place, the ulnar plate internal fixation was performed to reconstruct the ulnar stability in the second stage. The Cooney wrist joint score was used to assess the pain, function, range of motion, flexion and extension range of motion, and grip strength of the wrist joint before operation and before the removal of internal fixator. The subjective feeling and appearance satisfaction of patients were recorded. ResultsAfter the second-stage operation, all the 13 patients were followed up 10-22 months, with an average of 15 months. The deformity of wrist joint disappeared after operation, and the flexion, extension, and ulnar deviation were basically normal. There was no complication such as ulnar impingement sign, nonunion or infection. Wrist function, pain, and range of motion were significantly improved after operation, except for 1 patient who had no significant improvement in rotation and pain. The ulnar internal fixator was removed at 10-18 months after the second-stage operation. The scores of pain, function, range of motion, flexion and extension range of motion, and grip strength in the Cooney wrist score before removal of internal fixator significantly improved when compared with those before operation (P<0.05). Subjective and appearance satisfaction of patients were excellent in 9 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 1 case. ConclusionUlnar osteotomy and shortening with sequential plate internal fixation for correction of Madelung deformity, with mild postoperative pain, can effectively avoid bone nonunion, improve wrist joint function, and have significant effectiveness.