The Incidence and aetiology of symptomatic neuroma development following digital amputation; a single centre observational study.

Authors

Raveenjot Nagra, Sunil Parthiban, Toby Austin, Joseph Mano, Christopher McGhee, Zubair Ahmed, Dominic M Power, Paul Malone

Published in

Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS. Sep 21, 2026. Epub Sep 21, 2026.

Abstract

Symptomatic neuromas are an uncommon but disabling consequence of digital amputation. Reported incidence varies widely, and there is limited evidence regarding the influence of amputation aetiology, level and intraoperative nerve management technique on subsequence neuroma formation. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of symptomatic digital neuromas and to determine whether aetiology, amputation levels, or nerve management technique influenced their development.
A single-centre retrospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted of all patients undergoing digital amputation between 2014 and 2021 at a tertiary trauma centre. Patient records were reviewed for demographics, amputation aetiology, anatomical level, intraoperative nerve management technique, and clinical follow-up for evidence of symptomatic neuroma development.
A total of 815 digital amputations were performed amongst 689 patients. The total incidence of digital neuroma was 6.26%. Trauma was the lead indication for amputation (86.3%). There was no statistically significant association between developing neuroma and amputation aetiology or anatomical level. The most commonly employed nerve management techniques were traction neurectomy (231/815; 28.3%) and bipolar cautery (238/815; 29.2%). Neuroma incidence was higher following traction neurectomy compared with bipolar cautery (9.96% (23/231) vs 5.04% (12/238). Traction neurectomy was associated with a statistically increased risk of symptomatic neuroma formation compared with bipolar cautery (unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.08; 95% CI 1.01-4.29, P<0.046).
This study provides contemporary incidence data on symptomatic digital neuromas following amputation. Traction neurectomy at the time of digital amputation is associated with an increased likelihood of subsequent neuroma development compared with bipolar cautery, highlighting the importance of nerve management technique in surgical planning.

PMID:
42810890
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Sep 2026.

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