Effect of four-corner fusion with locking plate without bone graft on functional recovery of the wrist: New treatment guidelines.

We assessed the effect of four-corner intercarpal fusion with locking plate without bone graft on daily activities and pain in patients with stage II and III scapholunate advanced collapse and scaphoid nonunion. Twenty-one patients who underwent four-corner fusion with scaphoidectomy without bone graft were evaluated with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores before and 16 months after surgery. We also compared postoperative grip strength between the operated and the healthy side. A principal component analysis was used to establish the relationship between functional benefit, immobilization period and number of physiotherapy sessions. We compared our results with published data. VAS and QuickDASH scores improved significantly. Loss of strength was observed postoperatively. QuickDASH score improved the most with a short immobilization period. No significant difference was found relative to the literature for follow-up time, range of motion, grip strength and QuickDASH score. All patients had bone fusion after 1 year. Four-corner fusion with locking plate is a procedure that reduces pain and improves functional scores. Our results are equal to those reported in the literature with bone graft. The union rate seemed high despite the absence of bone graft but was only assessed by x rays. This study allowed us to establish a treatment guideline: a shorter immobilization leads to better recovery.