Background: Metacarpal nonunion is a rare condition. The osteogenic capacity of periosteal free flap was investigated in five patients with metacarpal nonunion and impaired bone vascularization.Patients and methods: Surgery was performed between 64 and 499 days after the initial bone osteosynthesis. The average age was 27.6 (range 16–32) years. Nonunion was caused by excessive periosteal removal in two patients, extensive open trauma in three. Four nonunions were diaphyseal, one metaphyseal. A periosteal medial femoral condyle free flap was raised on the descending genicular artery for four patients, the superomedial genicular artery for one. After osteosynthesis with a plate, the flap was wrapped around the metacarpal, overlapping the bone proximally and distally. The recipient vessel were the dorsal branch of the radial artery and a vena comitans in the anatomical snuffbox in four patients, at the base of the first webspace in one.Results: The flap size ranged from 5 × 3.5 cm to 8 × 4 cm. No postoperative complication occurred. Radiological bone union was achieved 3 to 8 months after surgery. One patient had a full range of motion, one a slight extension lag of the proximal interphalangeal joint, two moderate joint stiffness of the proximal interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joint (one requiring plate removal and extensor tenolysis), one severe stiffness that allowed using a hook grip which was the aim of the surgery.Conclusion: In case of metacarpal nonunion with impaired bone vascularization, the periosteal medial femoral condyle free flap provides an effective and biomimetic approach to bone healing.

Background: Ulnar nerve compression at the elbow level is the second-most common entrapment neuropathy. The aim of this study was to use shear-wave elastography for the quantification of ulnar nerve elasticity in patients after ulnar nerve decompression with anterior transposition and in the contralateral non-operative side. Method: Eleven patients with confirmed diagnosis and ulnar nerve decompression with anterior transposition were included and examinations were performed on an Aixplorer^TM ultrasound system (Supersonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France). Results: We observed significant differences at 0-degree (p < 0.001), 45-degree (p < 0.05), 90-degree (p < 0.01) and 120-degree (p < 0.001) elbow flexion in the shear elastic modulus of the ulnar nerve in the operative and non-operative sides. There were no statistically significant differences between the elasticity values of the ulnar nerve after transposition at 0-degree elbow flexion and in the non-operative side at 120-degree elbow flexion (p = 0.39), or in the ulnar nerve after transposition at 120-degree elbow flexion and in the non-operative side at 0-degree elbow flexion (p = 0.09). Conclusion: Shear-wave elastography has the potential to be used postoperatively as a method for assessing nerve tension noninvasively by the estimation of mechanical properties, such as the shear elastic modulus.

Background Ulnar nerve decompression at the elbow traditionally requires regional or general anesthesia. We wished to assess the feasibility of performing ulnar nerve decompression and transposition at the elbow under local anesthesia. Methods We examined retrospectively the charts of 50 consecutive patients having undergone ulnar nerve entrapment surgery either under general or local anesthesia. Patients were asked to estimate pain on postoperative days 1 and 7 and satisfaction was assessed at 1 year. Results On day 1, pain was comparable among all groups. On day 7, pain scores were twice as high when transposition was performed under general anesthesia when compared with local anesthesia. Patient satisfaction was slightly increased in the local anesthesia group. These patients were significantly more willing to repeat the surgery. Conclusion Ulnar nerve decompression and transposition at the elbow can be performed under local anesthesia without added morbidity when compared with general anesthesia. ^* Both authors contributed equally to this article.