title: The longer pull-out suture as a transmission suture for early active motion of repaired flexor tendon at the proximal zone-2.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the current study was to clinically evaluate the technique of longer pull-out suture as a transmission suture for early active motion after flexor tendon repair in the proximal zone-2.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients (eight adult male, two adult female and one child) with 19 proximal zone II flexor tendon lacerations were included. Mean age was 35 years. The patients were encouraged to perform active mobilization of the injured digits by themselves with full range of flexion from the first postoperative day. The pull-out suture was removed at the 8-10 weeks after the operation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up was 39 months. The procedure was well tolerated by all of the patients. A patient of whom pull-out suture was traumatized and loosened at 6th week showed fair result. Two other patients with a history of blunt trauma were also found to have fair results. Overall 16 of the 19 digits were evaluated as excellent or good by the Strickland criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this method show that the longer pull-out suture technique as a transmission suture followed by early active mobilization is safe, has a low re-rupture rate and is easy to perform for proximal zone-2 flexor tendon injuries.
authors.affiliation: Hand and Microsurgery Department, Delta Hospital, Küçükyalı-İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ibrahim E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Okçesiz
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ege
authors.forename: Egemen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Turhan
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Songür
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayar
authors.forename: Selçuk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult