Carpal synovitis with capitate bone tuberculosis in a child.

We present a 10-year-old boy with 2-month duration non-traumatic wrist pain and inflammatory signs. Due to elevated inflammatory markers on blood tests, with an increase in radiocarpal and intercarpal joints synovial fluid and no bony lesions, the patient was submitted to wrist arthrocentesis for the suspicion of septic arthritis. The patient did not improve on conventional treatment, however. An MRI showed synovitis around the carpus and a lytic lesion of the capitate bone due to osteomyelitis. A biopsy was able to identify the causative agent as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the patient was treated with antibiotics. He improved significantly, with no pain and signs of normal capitate bone remodelling on the last radiograph.

Postpartum Treatment of Metastatic Recurrent Giant Cell Tumor of Capitate Bone of Wrist.

Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are aggressive benign lesions that occur in the bone epiphysis. They are most often found in the long bones of the lower extremities. Wrist bone involvement is rare, capitate bone involvement exceedingly rare. Treatment in the wrist usually consists of excision, local adjuvant treatment, and cementing and/or bone grafting. GCTs also metastasize to the lungs; pulmonary lesions are excised and systemic therapy provided. We present the case of a 19-year-old woman with GCT of the capitate bone. After initial excision and cementing, the GCT recurred with lung metastases during a pregnancy. Rapid expansion of the GCT during pregnancy was reversed with systemic treatment with denosumab after pregnancy. Excellent response to this chemotherapy permitted limb-sparing surgery and wrist reconstruction with structural cortical autogenous bone graft. Resection of pulmonary metastases after a year of treatment with denosumab revealed lung parenchyma with calcification and ossification and limited viable tumor.

Arthroscopic Partial Capitate Resection for Type Ia Avascular Necrosis: A Short-Term Outcome Analysis.

PURPOSE: To examine short-term clinical results of arthroscopic partial resection for type Ia avascular necrosis of the capitate. METHODS: Patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment for type 1a avascular necrosis of the capitate with at least 1-year follow-up were identified through a retrospective chart review. The necrotic capitate head was arthroscopically resected with removal of the lunate facet and preservation of the scaphoid and hamate facets. Wrist range of motion, grip strength, and radiographic parameters--carpal height ratio, radioscaphoid angle, and radiolunate angle-were determined before surgery and at the latest follow-up. Patients completed a visual analog scale for pain; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand measure; and the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation score before surgery and at the latest follow-up. RESULTS: Five patients (1 male, 4 females) with a mean age of 34 years (range, 16-49 years) and a mean follow-up duration of 20 months (range, 12-36 months) were identified during the chart review. All were type Ia (Milliez classification). Arthroscopy revealed fibrillation or softening with cartilage detachment at the lunate facet of the capitate head and an intact articular surface at the scaphoid and hamate facet. At the latest follow-up, the mean wrist flexion-extension was 123° (vs 81° before surgery) and grip strength was 74% (vs 37% before surgery). The visual analog scale score for pain; the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score; and the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation score before surgery showed a significant improvement following treatment. Radiographic parameters did not significantly change at the final follow-up, although the proximal carpal row trended toward flexion. CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic partial resection of the capitate head was an acceptable treatment for type Ia avascular necrosis of the capitate. It provided adequate pain relief and improved the range of wrist motion and grip strength during short-term follow-up. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

Avascular necrosis of the capitate: report of six cases and review of the literature.

Avascular necrosis of the capitate is rare. Little is known about the aetiology, disease progression or optimal management. From 1992 to 2012 we treated six patients; four had a scaphocapitolunate arthrodesis and two had a four corner arthrodesis. The average follow up was 9 years (range 1-20). Three patients had good or excellent results, two fair and one poor, based on a visual analogue scale for pain and satisfaction and a Quick-DASH score. The Mayo wrist score was satisfactory in five cases and poor in one. Better results were seen when the arthrodesis fused. In the English, French and German literature 42 other cases were found. The aetiology, patient characteristics, clinical presentation, treatment and outcome were reviewed.

Chondroblastoma with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst of the capitate.

Chondroblastoma is a benign tumor that typically arises in the epiphysis of a long bone. There have been only 2 reported cases of chondroblastoma involving the capitate. This is the first report of chondroblastoma with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst involving the capitate. A 33-year-old man presented with a 3-year history of pain and swelling of the right wrist. Radiography as well as computed tomography showed a radiolucent area and no matrix calcification within the capitate. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a homogeneous signal that was low on T1-weighted images and high on T2-weighted images and showed only slight enhancement. On the basis of imaging findings, the authors chose excisional biopsy. The bone tumor in the capitate was explored through a dorsal approach by dividing the extensor tendons. After repeated curettages, bone graft substitute using allograft bone was packed into the capitate. Histologically, the authors diagnosed this tumor as a chondroblastoma with a secondary aneurysmal bone cyst. At the final 2-year follow-up, there was evidence of bone union, full range of motion, and recovery and no evidence of recurrence. Although the recurrence of chondroblastoma is occasionally reported, the principal treatment is intralesional curettage and bone graft. High-speed burring, phenol, bone cement, and cryosurgery have been reported to reduce local recurrence. Complete excision of the carpal bone seems to be overtreatment.

[Intraosseous ganglion cyst of the capitate: a case report]. / Kyste synovial intraosseux du capitatum : à propos d'un cas.

Intraosseous cyst of the carpal bones is a rare cause of wrist pain. Few cases have been reported. We report a rare case of intraosseous ganglion cyst of the capitate, in a girl aged 16 who plain of chronic pain of the right wrist. The radiological assessment showed an osteolytic lesion with marginal sclerosis. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology and treatment consisted of curettage with autologous cancellous bone graft. At 8 months follow-up, the capitate is fully consolidated and the functional result is satisfactory.

Lunatocapitate and triquetrohamate arthrodeses for degenerative arthritis of the wrist.

PURPOSE: Proximal row carpectomy and 4-corner arthrodesis are 2 well-established motion-preserving treatment strategies for scapholunate advanced collapse. In this study, we present an arthrodesis technique involving the capitolunate and triquetrohamate joints as another potential treatment option. METHODS: From 2000 to 2009, 27 consecutive patients with degenerative scapholunate advanced collapse and scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse were evaluated prospectively and treated with scaphoid excision and intercarpal arthrodesis between the capitate and lunate and between the hamate and triquetrum. This cohort consisted of 18 men and 9 women, involving dominant-sided surgery in 20 of 27 patients. Two patients were active smokers, and 3 cases were work related. Average age at time of surgery was 55 ± 3 years, and average follow-up was 51 ± 7 months. Preoperative and postoperative range of motion, grip strength, and radiographic evidence of osseous union were documented. Standardized Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation scores for both pain and function were collected. RESULTS: Wrist extension and flexion were decreased after surgery by 17% and 25% respectively, yielding a 21% decrease in mean flexion-extension arc. There was no significant difference with regard to postoperative radial and ulnar deviation or mean coronal plane arc compared to preoperative values. Compared to the contralateral side, preoperative and postoperative grip strength were 53% and 70%, respectively. The average operative-sided grip strength increased by 27%. The mean Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation pain score was 11 ± 3 (of 50). The mean Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation functional score was 17 ± 5 (of 100). Complications included 1 nonunion (yielding a 96% fusion rate), 1 median neuropathy (which resolved), and 2 superficial wound infections (treated successfully with oral antibiotics). CONCLUSIONS: Arthrodesis of the capitolunate and triquetrohamate joints offers a motion-preserving strategy with a high union rate and good clinical function and pain outcomes for the treatment for scapholunate advanced collapse and scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

Giant cell tumor of the capitate.

Giant cell tumors are primary bone tumors most often observed in the metaepiphyses of long bones; location in the hand, especially the carpal bones, is rare. We report a patient with recurrent giant cell tumor of the capitate and discuss treatment and prognosis in this rare site.

Osteochondroma of the capitate causing rupture of the extensor digiti minimi: case report.

Osteochondromas usually arise from the metaphyses of long bones. Involvement of the carpal bones is extremely rare. We report a case of an osteochondroma originating from the dorsal capitate in a 51-year-old man. Attritional rupture of the extensor digiti minimi tendon resulted from mechanical irritation as it coursed over the mass. Surgical excision of the mass with tendon transfer of the extensor digiti minimi was subsequently performed.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the capitate: case report and a review emphasizing local recurrence.

We herein report the case of a 15-year-old boy with cystic lesion of the capitate. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the lesion demonstrated homogenous low-intensity on T1-weighted imaging and homogenous high intensity on T2-weighted imaging. The lesion was treated by curettage and autologous bone-grafting. The histological specimen from the cystic wall showed loose fibrous tissue with capillary vessels and extravasated red blood cells. The cystic lesion was filled with blood, suggesting that the cystic lesion was actually an aneurysmal bone cyst. The present case is the second reported case of aneurysmal bone cyst of the capitate. No recurrence has been observed during the 4 years since operation. We also review the literature related to ABCs of the hand with special emphasis on local recurrence.