Functional results of seventy-six cases of phalangeal and metacarpal fractures studied using a hand emergency computer card system.

Over a two-year period, the authors analyzed 76 records using a "hand" computer card divided into two parts: "work-up of the initial lesions" and "functional results". Analysis of 102 cases of fractures in this manner led to the conclusion that outcome was most often favorable when the fracture was extra-articular whatever the treatment, except in the case of complex compound fractures. In contrast, treatment of articular fractures often required secondary surgery (50% of cases) and led to 20% poor or average results. This was the case whatever initial treatment (functional, orthopedic or operative) had been undertaken.