Clinical and demographic profile Volkmann’s ischemic contracture presenting in Tigray (Ethiopia)

OBJECTIVE: Volkmann’s ischemic contracture(VIC) represents the outcome of a compartment syndrome, not adequately managed during the acute phase. It is still to be found in the developing countries, while it is rarely present in the developed countries. In this report we refer on our African experience on VIC,because we believe might be useful for last generation of Italian orthopaedics which rarely have a chance to see Volkmann ‘s cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AA. report their 2-year experience in the treatment of 16 patients aged 7 to 17, presenting various entities of Volkmann, in the Tigray (North-East of Ethiopia). According to Tsuge’s classification, cases ranged from mild to moderate and severe.Surgery is the method of choice in cases of fixed and advanced VIC.Our used techniques were graded according to the severity of the deformity and namely: A) Flexor tendons lengthening; B) Superficial pro profundous flexor tendons transfer; C) Extensor tendons transfer pro flexor tendons. In some specific cases treatment was completed by means of ancillary surgery..Results: In all patients there has been an acceptable recovery of hand function,although the difficulty to verify the outcomes because of the scarce overlapping of the clinical status and different operations. CONCLUSIONS: Attentions shall be drawn to the outcomes and a healthcare education is necessary in those villages where cures are entrusted to the so-called “traditional doctors” who are nothing more than “bone-setters”. (www.actabiomedica.it)