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A 17-year-old boy jumped over a fence and sustained an avulsion injury to the fifth finger of his right hand when the ring he was wearing caught on the fence. The finger was amputated through the distal interphalangeal joint, and the tendon of the flexor digitorum profundus muscle was completely pulled out (Panel A). The insertion of the superficial flexor tendon remained intact, and the patient was able to flex the remaining stump of the finger. The torn-out tendon was resected, and the amputated part of the finger replanted microsurgically. Postoperative anticoagulant therapy consisted of aspirin and intravenous heparin given for seven days. Healing was uneventful, and the patient was discharged after 15 days. The final result is shown in Panel B. At seven weeks' follow-up, the patient was able to flex the finger actively; the range of motion was 50 degrees in the proximal interphalangeal joint and 30 degrees in the distal interphalangeal joint.
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