Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon Rupture as a Complication of a Closed Distal Radius Fracture - A Case Report -

Do-Young Kim; Eun-Min Seo; Woo-Dong Nam; Seung-Jae Park; Sang-Soo Lee

doi:10.12671/jkfs.2011.24.2.191

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Kim, Seo, Nam, Park, and Lee: Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon Rupture as a Complication of a Closed Distal Radius Fracture - A Case Report -

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Fracture Society

Journal of the Korean Fracture Society 2011; 24(2): 191-194.

Published online: 13 April 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12671/jkfs.2011.24.2.191

Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon Rupture as a Complication of a Closed Distal Radius Fracture - A Case Report -

Do-Young Kim, M.D., Eun-Min Seo, M.D., Woo-Dong Nam, M.D.^*, Seung-Jae Park, M.D., Sang-Soo Lee, M.D.

Institure for Skeletal Aging & Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.

^*Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Eun-min Seo, M.D. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chunchon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, 153, Gyo-dong, Chuncheon 200-704, Korea. Tel: 82-33-240-5781, Fax: 82-33-255-6244, seoem@hallym.or.kr

Received 26 October 2010 Revised 11 December 2010 Accepted 25 January 2011

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

There are few reported cases of flexor pollicis longus tendon (FPL) rupture complicating a closed distal radius fracture. We report a case of FPL tendon rupture complicating a closed distal radius fracture. A 24-year-old male presented with a severe right wrist pain. He had a closed distal radius fracture that was treated by closed manual reduction. Three days later, he complained forearm pain and limitation of thumb motion. The physical examination revealed loss of active interphalangeal joint flexion of thumb. He was taken to the operating room. Intraoperatively, the FPL was found to be discontinuous at the level of the radius fracture site. The FPL was repaired by a modified Kessler technique, and the fracture was repaired with a volar plate. Clinicians must be cautious in possibility of tendon injury complicating a closed distal radius fracture and assessing patients with distal radius fracture following closed reduction.

Keywords: Distal radius Fracture, Flexor pollicis longus tendon rupture

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the right wrist show distal radius fracture with severe dorsal displacement and sharp anterior bony beak.

Fig. 2

After manual reduction, anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the right wrist show improvement of bony alignment but not perfect reduction.

Fig. 3

(A) Intraoperative photographs show rupture of the flexor pollicis longus tendon, (B) intraoperative photographs show that the flexor pollicis longus tendon is repaired by a modified Kessler technique.

Fig. 4

Eight weeks after surgery, anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the right wrist show solid union.

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