A Rare Volar Carpo-metacarpal Joint Dislocation in a Child: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Introduction: Carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) dislocations are a rare presentation and a volar dislocation in a pediatric patient even more so. We present a case of this condition along with management strategies to help guide future treatment of this injury. Case Report: A fit and well 8-year-old boy presented with pain and deformity of his right hand following a fall from a horse. He had no history of previous trauma or injury to this hand. X-rays demonstrated a volar dislocation of the second CMCJ, along with several metacarpal base fractures. This injury was managed emergently with closed reduction in the Emergency Department and then underwent definitive treatment through percutaneous Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation 2 days after injury. At 3- month follow-up, the patient and his family reported no pain, and on examination, there was no deformity and he had excellent range of motion. The patient had already returned to horse riding with no issues. Conclusion: A volar carpometacarpal dislocation in a pediatric patient is an uncommon presentation. We were able to achieve a full functional recovery using a mixture of closed reduction and K-wire fixation techniques. This clinical experience offers several learning points and also guidance around management strategies for future presentations of this condition.

Hamate vs. capitate grafting for proximal interphalangeal joint fracture-dislocation: an MRI-based study of 35 hands.

We examined the MRI scans of 35 adult hands to assess the feasibility of the hamate and the capitate as potential donor grafts in the management of comminuted intra-articular fractures at the base of the middle phalanges. Essentially neither the hamate nor the capitate were perfect anatomic matches in most digits, but the capitate had the advantage of having more uniform facets, and the capitate facet shapes were similar to those of the little finger. The measurement of angles in the coronal and sagittal plane showed that in some respects the differences between the potential graft and the base of the middle phalanges were smaller for the capitate than for the hamate. Moreover, the sagittal morphology of the capitate made it less prone to joint overstuffing than the hamate. We conclude that the capitate may be considered as a graft donor in selected cases, especially for the little finger.