Abstract
As many as half of children with unilateral congenital transverse forearm total deficiency (UCTFTD) choose not to wear a prosthesis. In a multicenter study, 489 children and young adults aged 2 to 20 years with UCTFTD and their parents were tested for satisfaction, quality of life, and function. One hundred sixty-eight (34%) of those tested had chosen not to wear a prosthesis. Subjects and parents were asked the open-ended question "What are the reasons for not wearing a prosthesis?" and were allowed to give more than one response. Of the 135 subjects who had chosen not to wear a prosthesis and who responded to the question, the reason most frequently (53%) given was that the prosthesis did not help function. Forty-nine percent reported they stopped wearing it because the prosthesis was uncomfortable. Currently, upper-extremity prosthetic management for children with UCTFTD is a matter of controversy, with some clinicians advocating the need for prostheses to accomplish bilateral hand tasks, particularly in the scheme of normal development. Responses from children who do not wear a prosthesis may aid practitioners in re-evaluating the prosthetic role and potentially improve prosthetic options.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 51-54 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2007 |
Keywords
- Comfort
- Function
- Prosthesis
- Rejection
- Satisfaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine