Presentation
Fell off motorcycle at high speed. Now grossly deformed wrist
Patient Data
Note: This case has been tagged as "legacy" as it no longer meets image preparation and/or other case publication guidelines.
The carpus and attached fingers are dislocated posteriorly and to the radial side except for the lunate, which still retains its relationship to the radius, albeit flipped anteriorly. The scapholunate ligament remains intact, maintaining its relationship to the proximal pole of the scaphoid. The distal pole has been dislocated with the remainder of the carpus. There is a further fracture to the inferior pole of the capitate.
Case Discussion
This fractures-dislocation pattern of a greater arcy injury is complex and can be difficult to interpret on x-ray due to the distortion and difficulty in obtaining orthogonal views. CT data can be manipulated into these anatomically recognizable planes using workstation software. These fracture-dislocations need to be reduced rapidly as there is a high risk of median nerve injury and arterial compromise to the hand.
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