Emergency reconstruction of extensor terminal slip defect by tendon plasty.

Introduction: We report our experience with a tendon plasty technique to reconstruct extensor terminal slip defect, with results in 11 patients.

Material And Methods: The technique was proposed to 11 patients with mean tendon defects of 6 mm. Mean follow-up was 10.6 months. Clinical assessment comprised active distal interphalangeal (DIP) range of motion, active DIP extension and spontaneous DIP extension deficit.

Results: Mean range of motion was 50°. Active extension was restored in all cases. There was a mean 11° spontaneous DIP extension deficit.

Discussion: The present results confirmed those in the literature for this type of tendon plasty. As well as these encouraging outcomes, the technique has the advantage of being simple, with low morbidity thanks to remote harvesting.