Since its first description as a "rarity" by Vaughan-Jackson in 1948, tendon rupture in the rheumatoid hand has amassed a significant amount of literature [1,2]. Extensor tendon rupture in the rheumatoid patient is a more frequent occurrence than flexor-sided rupture, which is a fortunate circumstance for the hand surgeon because the outcomes of surgical treatment of the flexor tendon rupture are less than excellent [2-6]. These poor results explain current approaches to the problem, which are more preventive in nature. Interestingly, this aggressive approach was proposed by the original author in 1962 when Vaughan-Jackson found, "far too much in the rheumatoid hand was being accepted as an inevitable consequence of arthritis" [2]. In this article, we review flexor tendon problems in the rheumatoid hand and current approaches in treatment and their outcomes.
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