Functional and Radiological Outcomes of Metacarpal and Phalangeal Fractures using Intramedullary K-Wires and Joshi’s External Stabilization System

Objectives

Hand injuries are quite common and affect 15% of people who go to the emergency room. Metacarpals and phalanges are the two bones that fracture most frequently, with a prevalence of between 10 and 15%. The use of intramedullary K-wires in conjunction with an external fixation system, like Joshi's External Stabilization System (JESS), is optional. The functionality of JESS is based on the ligamentotaxis theory. Material and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Orthopedics, Sher-I- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Bemina, on 40 patients with metacarpal and phalangeal fractures managed by Kirschner wires (K- wires) and JESS for a period of 2 years starting from July 2019. The collected data were analyzed with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21.