Choice of the method for eliminating postburn shoulder joint contractures

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In the Russian Federation, over 400,000 patients with thermal injuries are registered yearly, with approximately 30% of them requiring hospitalization. Physicians pay special attention to the rehabilitation of patients with complications of deep burns. According to several authors, deep burns occur in 47% of cases. The most common complications of deep burns are contractures and limb deformities. Shoulder contractures occur in over 50% of patients. The outcomes and terms of a patient’s return to active social and working life depend on the timeliness and selection of an optimal surgical intervention from a wide range of reconstructive and plastic techniques.

AIM: This study aimed to improve the functional and esthetic results of surgical treatment in patients with postburn shoulder joint contractures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2011 to 2020, 198 patients underwent surgery, including 59% women and 41% men. Right shoulder, left shoulder, and right and left shoulder simultaneous joint contractures occurred in 54.5%, 38.5%, and 7% of cases, respectively. The patients’ age ranged from 18 to 72 years, and 99% of them were of working age. The scope of preoperative examination included clinical data, photographic documentation, duplex vascular scanning, and determination of the degree of contracture using a mechanical goniometer. Patients with grade I, II, and III shoulder joint lesions accounted for 29%, 60%, and 11% of the total number of cases, respectively. Early surgical rehabilitation prevents the development of secondary myogenic and arthrogenic contractures and accelerates the patient’s social reintegration. Local tissue plasty using the armpit adipodermal tongue-shaped flap, a nonperforated full-layer or split skin graft, a rotated flap based on perforating vessels, and the expander stretching method were used to eliminate contractures.

RESULTS: Bacterial infection, total and marginal necrosis, hematomas, and seromas were not observed in the immediate postoperative period. Complete elimination of the shoulder joint contracture was achieved in 63% of cases, whereas joint mobility increased by over 60° in 30% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS: The algorithm presented for choosing a method of surgical rehabilitation for patients with shoulder joint contractures leads to an increase in the efficiency of reconstructive surgery after burn injuries.

Keywords

shoulder joint contracture / thoracodorsal artery perforator flap / circumflex scapular artery perforator flap / cicatricial contraction

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