Percutaneous Double-Button Technique in the Treatment of Mallet Finger: A Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35563/rmp.v15i1.691Keywords:
Mallet finger, distal interphalangeal joint, extensor tendon, percutaneous fixation, hand surgeryAbstract
Background:
Mallet finger is a common injury of the terminal extensor tendon that results in loss of active extension of the distal interphalangeal joint. Although conservative treatment is usually the first-line option, subacute or chronic cases may present unsatisfactory outcomes, making surgical management necessary.
Case Presentation:
We report the case of a 35-year-old male patient with a mallet finger deformity of the fifth finger of the left hand following a sports-related injury, with subacute evolution and persistent extension deficit. A percutaneous surgical technique using a double-button fixation (dorsal and volar) was performed. Nonabsorbable suture material was passed percutaneously with the aid of a needle, maintaining the distal interphalangeal joint in hyperextension for six weeks.
Results:
At the end of the treatment period, the patient achieved functional recovery of distal interphalangeal joint extension, with satisfactory clinical outcome and no local or infectious complications.
Conclusions:
Percutaneous double-button fixation may represent a feasible therapeutic alternative in selected cases of subacute or chronic mallet finger. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to evaluate the reproducibility and long-term outcomes of this technique
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Barrientos-Ramos Victor, Barrientos-Salazar Paolo, Li-Hernández Edwin, Barrientos-Salazar Alexander
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright is retained by the authors, who have the right to share, copy, distribute, perform, and publicly communicate their article, or parts of it, provided that the original publication in the journal is acknowledged.
Authors may archive in the repository of their institution:
- The thesis from which the published article derives.
- The pre-print version: version prior to peer review.
- The post-print version: final version after peer review.
- The final version or final version created by the editor for publication.
