Treatment of old introclable lesions of the extensors of the middle finger by resection arthroplasty with implant.

Traumatic boutonniere deformity may become fixed and cannot be reduced when the joint cartilage become altered. We propose a resection arthroplasty with a Swanson's silicone implant as a valuable solution for this problem as it simplifies the joint and the extensor apparatus. We use a transverse approach through the extensor tendon which enables to restore a good balance between bone and tendon and seems to avoid some adhesions. Results of 17 operations with a minimum follow up of 12 months show that 40 degrees of motion have been recovered in an angle sector which corrects the deformity. The final evaluation is good if compared to the severity of the initial status.