Destructive Arthropathy of the Interphalangeal Joint Following Revascularization After Degloving Hand Injury: A Case Report.

It is difficult to achieve satisfactory results in the treatment of advanced degloving injury, which is one of the most challenging injuries in hand surgery. In this report, we present a case of marked destructive arthropathy of the interphalangeal joint that developed following revascularization after degloving hand injury. A 37-year-old, right-handed female manual worker sustained a degloving injury of her fingers, including the dorsal hand. We performed revascularization and secondary surgery, which included tenolysis and a tendon graft, to obtain functional improvement. These 2 procedures provided significant improvement in the active range of motion of the respective fingers. However, the patient complained of postoperative pain in the proximal interphalangeal joint. X-ray revealed destructive changes in the interphalangeal joint, which advanced progressively. Destructive changes in the interphalangeal joint following advanced degloving injury should be recognized as a potential complication that could be a limitation of functional restoration. Follow-up X-ray examination is necessary, even in cases with no fracture of the phalanges at the time of injury. In the management of degloving injury, patients should be informed of the potential risk of destructive arthropathy, which could result in restricted motion with pain.