Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are frequently used to assess treatment outcomes for hand and wrist conditions. To adequately interpret these outcomes, it is important to determine whether a statistically significant change is also clinically relevant. For this purpose, the minimally important change (MIC) was developed, representing the minimal within-person change in outcome that patients perceive as a beneficial treatment effect. Prior studies demonstrated substantial differences in MICs between condition-treatment combinations, suggesting that MICs are context-specific and cannot be reliably generalized. Hence, a study providing MICs for a wide diversity of condition-treatment combinations for hand and wrist conditions will contribute to more accurate treatment evaluations. Questions/purposes: (1) What are the MICs of the most frequently used PROMs for common condition-treatment combinations of hand and wrist conditions? (2) Do MICs vary based on the invasiveness of the treatment (nonsurgical treatment or surgical treatment)? Methods: This study is based on data from a longitudinally maintained database of patients with hand and wrist conditions treated in one of 26 outpatient clinics in the Netherlands between November 2013 and November 2020. Patients were invited to complete several validated PROMs before treatment and at final follow-up. All patients were invited to complete the VAS for pain and hand function. Depending on the condition, patients were also invited to complete the Michigan Hand outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) (finger and thumb conditions), the Patient-rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation (PRWHE) (wrist conditions), or the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) (nerve conditions). Additionally, patients completed the validated Satisfaction with Treatment Result Questionnaire at final follow-up. Final follow-up timepoints were 3 months for nonsurgical and minor surgical treatment (including trigger finger release) and 12 months for major surgical treatment (such as trapeziectomy). Our database included 55,651 patients, of whom we excluded 1528 who only required diagnostic management, 25,099 patients who did not complete the Satisfaction with Treatment Result Questionnaire, 3509 patients with missing data in the PROM of interest at baseline or follow-up, and 1766 patients who were part of condition-treatment combinations with less than 100 patients. The final sample represented 43% (23,749) of all patients and consisted of 36 condition-treatment combinations. In this final sample, 26% (6179) of patients were managed nonsurgically and 74% (17,570) were managed surgically. Patients had a mean ± SD age of 55 ± 14 years, and 66% (15,593) of patients were women. To estimate the MIC, we used two anchor-based methods (the anchor mean change and the MIC predict method), which were triangulated afterward to obtain a single MIC. Applying this method, we calculated the MIC for 36 condition-treatment combinations, comprising 22 different conditions, and calculated the MIC for combined nonsurgical and surgical treatment groups. To examine whether the MIC differs between nonsurgical and surgical treatments, we performed a Wilcoxon signed rank test to compare the MICs of all PROM scores between nonsurgical and surgical treatment. Results: We found a large variation in triangulated MICs between the condition-treatment combinations. For example, for nonsurgical treatment of hand OA, the MICs of VAS pain during load clustered around 10 (interquartile range 8 to 11), for wrist osteotomy/carpectomy it was around 25 (IQR 24 to 27), and for nerve decompression it was 21. Additionally, the MICs of the MHQ total score ranged from 4 (nonsurgical treatment of CMC1 OA) to 15 (trapeziectomy with LRTI and bone tunnel), for the PRWHE total score it ranged from 2 (nonsurgical treatment of STT OA) to 29 (release of first extensor compartment), and for the BCTQ Symptom Severity Scale it ranged from 0.44 (nonsurgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome) to 0.87 (carpal tunnel release). An overview of all MIC values is available in a freely available online application at: https://analyse.equipezorgbedrijven.nl/shiny/mic-per-treatment/. In the combined treatment groups, the triangulated MIC values were lower for nonsurgical treatment than for surgical treatment (p < 0.001). The MICs for nonsurgical treatment can be approximated to be one-ninth (IQR 0.08 to 0.13) of the scale (approximately 11 on a 100-point instrument), and surgical treatment had MICs that were approximately one-fifth (IQR 0.14 to 0.24) of the scale (approximately 19 on a 100-point instrument). Conclusion: MICs vary between condition-treatment combinations and differ depending on the invasiveness of the intervention. Patients receiving a more invasive treatment have higher treatment expectations, may experience more discomfort from their treatment, or may feel that the investment of undergoing a more invasive treatment should yield greater improvement, leading to a different perception of what constitutes a beneficial treatment effect. Clinical Relevance: Our findings indicate that the MIC is context-specific and may be misleading if applied inappropriately. Implementation of these condition-specific and treatment-specific MICs in clinical research allows for a better study design and to achieve more accurate treatment evaluations. Consequently, this could aid clinicians in better informing patients about the expected treatment results and facilitate shared decision-making in clinical practice. Future studies may focus on adaptive techniques to achieve individualized MICs, which may ultimately aid clinicians in selecting the optimal treatment for individual patients.

Evaluation of long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is essential for optimizing functional and psychological outcomes after major head and neck surgery. Because research on this topic is scarce, this study aimed to assess long-term HRQOL in patients following segmental mandibulectomy and osseous reconstruction. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed, including all consecutive patients who underwent segmental mandibulectomy and subsequent osseous reconstruction between 1993 and 2024. The primary outcome was HRQOL, assessed using the FACE-Q Head and Neck Cancer Module. Descriptive statistics summarized FACE-Q domain scores. Multivariable analyses identified associations between clinical variables and HRQOL. Of all 333 reconstructed patients, 117 were still alive and eligible for inclusion of whom 74 responded (response, 63 %) with a mean follow-up of 7.6 years (SD, 6.3) after surgery. In the long term, functional domains of the FACE-Q were most affected while psychological functioning scores remained relatively more favorable. Radiotherapy was significantly associated with lower scores in the domains of salivation (β = -28.6; p = 0.008), smile (β = -20.4; p = 0.046), and swallowing (β = -27.8; p = 0.004). Anterior mandibular defects (Brown class III-IV) were associated with poorer speech outcomes (β = -18.2; p = 0.012). Higher age at surgery was associated with poorer eating and drinking scores (β = -0.5; p = 0.008), while dental rehabilitation was associated with better scores (β = 11.7; p = 0.016). At long-term follow-up after segmental mandibulectomy and osseous reconstruction, various functional domains of HRQOL were affected, while psychological functioning scores seemed to remain relatively more favorable. Targeting modifiable factors may enhance long-term HRQOL in this population.

Background/Objectives: Neuropathic chronic postherniorrhaphy inguinal pain (CPIP) is a serious adverse outcome following inguinal hernia repair surgery. The optimal surgical treatment for neuropathic CPIP remains controversial in the current literature. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of various surgical techniques utilized to manage neuropathic CPIP. Methods: The electronic databases Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar were searched. Inclusion criteria were defined to select studies reporting on the efficacy of surgical interventions in patients with neuropathic CPIP. The primary outcome was postoperative pain relief, as determined by postoperative numerical or nonnumerical pain scores. Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Three surgical techniques were identified: selective neurectomy, triple neurectomy, and targeted muscle reinnervation. Proportions of good postoperative results of the surgical techniques ranged between 46 and 88 percent. Overall, the surgical treatment of neuropathic CPIP achieved a good postoperative result in 68 percent (95% CI, 49 to 82%) of neuropathic CPIP patients (n = 244), with targeted muscle reinnervation yielding the highest proportion of good postoperative results. Conclusions: The surgical treatment of neuropathic CPIP is generally considered safe and has demonstrated effective pain relief across various surgical techniques. Targeted muscle reinnervation exhibits considerable potential for surpassing current success rates in inguinal hernia repair surgery.

Background: Various operative techniques exist to reconstruct partial hypopharyngeal defects following total laryngectomy. The current study aimed to investigate and compare complications and functional results following commonly used reconstructive techniques. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed using studies that investigated outcomes after the reconstruction of a partial hypopharyngeal defect. The outcomes of interest were fistulas, strictures, flap failure, swallowing function and postoperative speech. Results: Of the 4035 studies identified, 23 were included in this review. Four common reconstructive techniques were reported, with a total of 794 patients: (1) pectoralis major myocutaneous and (2) myofascial flap, (3) anterolateral thigh free flap and (4) radial forearm free flap. Fistulas occurred significantly more often than pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps (34%, 95% CI 23–47%) compared with other flaps (p < 0.001). No significant differences in the rates of strictures or flap failure were observed. Pectoralis major myofascial flaps were non-inferior to free-flap reconstructions. Insufficient data were available to assess speech results between flap types. Conclusion: Pectoralis myocutaneous flaps should not be the preferred method of reconstruction for most patients, considering their significantly higher rate of fistulas. In contrast, pectoralis major myofascial flaps yield promising results compared to free-flap reconstructions, warranting further investigation.

The free fibula flap (FFF) is widely used and considered the workhorse flap for osteocutaneous head and neck reconstruction. Donor-site morbidity is considered to be low and mild, and has therefore received little attention. Although sensory deficits and chronic pain have been reported in the donor-site, the incidence of neuropathic pain remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the incidence and prognostic factors associated with neuropathic pain at the donor-site following FFF harvest and investigate its impact on leg function and quality of life. In this multicenter, cross-sectional study, 150 patients who underwent FFF surgery between 2010-2020 were included. Baseline characteristics were collected. All patients received questionnaires to measure self-reported pain (Doleur Neuropathique 4 and visual analog scale Pain), leg function (Lower Extremity Functional Scale), and quality of life (EuroQol-5D). Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify prognostic factors associated with the outcomes. A total of 82 patients completed the questionnaires. Neuropathic pain was present in 21% of the patients. Multivariable analysis revealed that donor-site complications (p=0.025) and younger age (p=0.003) were independently associated with neuropathic pain. No difference in neuropathic pain incidence was found between primary and skin graft closure (p=0.54). Patients with neuropathic pain showed a significantly poorer quality of life (p=0.01). One-fifth of all patients experienced neuropathic pain at the donor-site following FFF harvest. Younger patients and patients with donor-site complications are more prone to developing neuropathic pain. Future research should focus on analyses of surgical factors and optimalization of wound care to reduce the incidence of neuropathic pain.