The incidence of wrist tuberculosis is rare. Clinical features and radiographs are not conclusive in the beginning, happen to delay the achievement of the diagnosis, and thus result in poor treatment. We present a case report of wrist tuberculosis that had delayed diagnosis. Hence, the initiation of antituberculous treatment was delayed, as the initial investigations were not conclusive of tuberculous infection. The patient was treated surgically multiple times before tuberculosis was diagnosed. Antituberculous chemotherapy was started for the patient for one year until she became afebrile and infective markers returned to normal. However, the patient developed left wrist stiffness due to arthrofibrosis and bony destruction of the wrist joint.
Tuberculosis is an infection that can occur in every organ of the body, but it rarely affects the wrist joint. We report a rare case of a male patient with wrist tuberculosis with a subtle presentation. Our patient's left wrist had been swollen for four months and progressively worsened, becoming ulcerated one week prior to presentation to our center. He was asymptomatic, but a previous radiograph showed global destruction of the wrist joint. Clinical investigations, that is, polymerase chain reaction test for tuberculosis and histopathological examination, showed classic findings of tuberculosis, which lead to the initiation of anti-tuberculosis treatment.
Introduction: Restoration of a functional hand is the ultimate goal following a distal radius tumour resection. The early outcomes of mobile wrist reconstruction are satisfactory; however, long-term results are unpredictable due to late wrist instability and degenerative arthritis. Our aim is to compare mobile wrist reconstruction with wrist fusion (pan-carpal fusion) in our cohort of patients. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed for functional outcomes of all patients who underwent resection for distal radius tumour and treated with either fusion or reconstruction of the wrist in a single institution from years 2000-2013 with a minimum of three years follow-up. Results: Eleven patients were included in the study, six of whom had wrist reconstruction with proximal fibula graft and the remaining five wrist fusion, with a mean follow-up of 6.3 years. The mean Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) score was 82.78%, ranging from 70% to 93.3%. Average grip strength compared to the normal contralateral hand was 60.0% for total wrist fusion, which was better than wrist reconstruction with 58.07%. There was no difference in the functional outcome between fusion and mobile reconstruction in our study. Osteoarthritis changes and subluxation of the wrist joint were the most common findings in the long-term follow-up for this group. Conclusion: There was no difference in the functional outcome of the long-term follow-up between the two groups.
OBJECTIVES: Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is common but little is known about how HOA has impact on disability and quality of life (QoL).We aim to identify important domains of concern among participants suffering from symptomatic HOA in Singapore, representing an Asian socio-cultural context.
METHODS: A qualitative study using a focus group technique was performed. We ran focus groups stratified by gender, ethnicity and language. Two independent, trained analysts identified relevant categories and assigned codes to text segments through open coding, with discrepancies resolved through consensus. The final lists of domains and subthemes descriptive of QoL were then compared to the following commonly used HOA specific instruments: Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis (FIHOA), Score for Assessment and quantification of Chronic Rheumatic Affections of the Hand (SACRAH), Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN); and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ).
RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (23 women, three men; 24 Chinese and two Malay; mean ± SD age 62.9 ± 7.5 years) with symptomatic HOA according to the American College of Rheumatology Classification Criteria participated in seven focus groups. Two and five focus groups were conducted in Chinese and English, respectively. The qualitative analysis revealed pain, stiffness and functional disability as the main domains. However, psychological consequences, aesthetic concerns, participation in leisure activities, participation in family roles were important concepts from the focus groups which were not covered by existing instruments. Impact on work productivity by HOA and the unmet health care need is revealed.
CONCLUSION: The domains of concepts important to people with HOA in an Asian socio-cultural context are not fully represented in the most commonly used instruments. Further studies on the selection of main domains relevant to HOA patients are necessary.
Study site: Rheumatology outpatient clinic, Singapore General Hospital