BACKGROUND The Korean version of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (K-MHQ) was recently validated; however, the questionnaire's responsiveness as well as the degree to which the instrument is sensitive to change has not been thoroughly evaluated in a specific condition in Koreans. We evaluated the responsiveness of the K-MHQ in a homogenous cohort of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the responsiveness of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were treated in a multidisciplinary hand clinic. DESIGN Observational study comparing the responsiveness of the MHQ with that of various other outcome measures for hand function. SETTING Multidisciplinary hand clinic within a tertiary referral center f...

Ischaemic ulcerations of the fingertips are common in SSc and a source of pain and disability. Healing has been demonstrated with intravenous iloprost and two studies with bosentan have demonstrated reduction in the occurrence of new digital ulcers (DUs) over 4-6 months of treatment. Both bosentan studies showed no benefit in healing DU and because of this, net DU burden is no different between...

PURPOSE To review the subjective and functional results of basal thumb metacarpal osteotomy for the treatment of trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. METHODS Between July 1993 and November 1998, 35 thumb osteotomies without internal fixation were performed on 33 patients in the Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand. Records of 28 thumbs (13 right and 15 left) of 26 patients (17 women and 9 men) we...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate morbidity associated with the radial forearm free flap donor site and to compare functional and aesthetic outcomes of ulnar-based transposition flap (UBTF) vs split-thickness skin graft (STSG) closure of the donor site. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Tertiary care institution. PATIENTS The inclusion criteria were flap size not exceeding 30 cm(2), patient availab...