HSS researchers found that an international registry may help define the expected recovery trajectory following scapholunate ligament surgery, providing valuable information for both patients and surgeons. The findings showed that patients may initially experience worsening pain and function after surgery before improving and stabilizing over time.

“The expected postoperative trajectory following scapholunate ligament repair and reconstruction is something that will help build and set patient expectations but also help surgeons determine when patients are not following the expected postoperative recovery trajectory — and if it is a meaningful setback, if they should intervene, if they should be monitoring their patients more closely or if this delayed progression in their patient’s symptoms — or improvement in their symptoms — is expected,” Troy B. Amen, MD, MBA, of HSS shared with Healio about results presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting.

Dr. Amen and Scott W. Wolfe, MD, principal investigator and hand and upper extremity surgeon at HSS, along with colleagues across 15 national and international centers created a database with patient demographics, injury chronicity and the modified Garcia-Elias staging system prospectively collected among 70 patients who underwent either scapholunate ligament repair or reconstruction. Researchers tracked outcomes including pain and function, wrist range of motion, grip and pinch strength, return to work, complications and radiographic measures at intervals through one year after surgery.

The registry may help surgeons better understand whether a patient’s recovery is progressing as expected and identify when closer monitoring or intervention may be warranted.

Read the full article at healio.com.