ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2020
The Effectiveness of Burn Scar Contracture Release Surgery in Low- and Middle-income Countries.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Clinical Efficacy of High-Frequency Ultrasound Precision Monitoring Ring Drilling in the Treatment of Pathologic Scarring.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Trial
- Functional Recovery After Surgical Treatment of Post-Burn Contractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Reconstruction of Post-Burn Neck Contractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparing Surgical Techniques and Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Clinical Characteristics of Hand and Finger Contractures in Postburn Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis at a Top Referral Hospital in West Java, Indonesia.Journal of hand surgery global online · 2025Article
- Successful awake intubation using AirtraqBMC anesthesiology · 2025Article
- Global Surgery: Burn Outreach by Shriners Children's Texas.Seminars in plastic surgery · 2024Review
- Management of Severe Extended Burn Axillary Contracture in a Low-resource Setting.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2023Article
- Local Flap Reconstruction of Burn Contractures in Extremities and Neck: A Nine-Year Experience with Long-Term Outcome Evaluation in Southwestern Iran.World journal of plastic surgery · 2023Article
- Access to Burn Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Assessment of Timeliness, Surgical Capacity, and Affordability in a Regional Referral Hospital in Tanzania.Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Worldwide, many scar contracture release surgeries are performed to improve range of motion (ROM) after a burn injury. There is a particular need in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for such procedures. However, well-designed longitudinal studies on this topic are lacking globally. The present study therefore aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of contracture release surgery performed in an LMIC.
methodsThis pre-/postintervention study was conducted in a rural regional referral hospital in Tanzania. All patients undergoing contracture release surgery during surgical missions were eligible. ROM data were indexed to normal values to compare various joints. Surgery was considered effective if the ROM of all planes of motion of a single joint increased at least 25% postoperatively or if the ROM reached 100% of normal ROM. Follow-ups were at discharge and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively.
resultsA total of 70 joints of 44 patients were included. Follow-up rate at 12 months was 86%. Contracture release surgery was effective in 79% of the joints (
conclusionsThis is the first study to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of contracture release surgery in an LMIC. The follow-up rate was high and showed that contracture release surgery is safe, effective, and sustainable. We call for the implementation of outcome research in future surgical missions.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.