Palmar dislocation of the radio-carpal joint: a case report. (33/190)

Radio-carpal joint dislocation, with or without fracture of the radius, is an uncommon injury; only 21 cases have previously been reported. Successful treatments of closed reduction and surgery have also been reported. A 35-year-old right-handed man was injured in a traffic accident and taken to an emergency room of a hospital, where radiographic examination showed a right palmar radio-carpal joint dislocation. Three days after injury, the patient was transferred to our department at Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo. We performed percutaneous pin fixation to maintain the position of his reduced radio-carpal joint. Two years postoperatively, radiographic examination showed a complete union of the avulsion fracture of the radius and a reduction of the joint. He had no marked disturbance in his daily activities apart from a slight pain while working. He had no limitation on the range of motion of the wrist joint and his grip strength was 41.6 kg. He returned to work 3 months after injury.  (+info)

Multiple carpometacarpal dislocations and an ipsilateral scapho-trapezium-trapezoid fracture-dislocation: a rare pattern of injury. (34/190)

We report a rare case of simultaneous dorsal dislocation of 4 ulnar carpometacarpal joints and dorsoradial dislocation of the trapezium with an associated fracture of the scaphoid tuberosity. The injuries were diagnosed early and treated successfully with closed reduction and transfixation using Kirschner wires. The functional results were excellent at 17-month follow-up.  (+info)

The EULAR-OMERACT rheumatoid arthritis MRI reference image atlas: the wrist joint. (35/190)

This paper presents the wrist joint MR images of the EULAR-OMERACT rheumatoid arthritis MRI reference image atlas. Reference images for scoring synovitis, bone oedema, and bone erosions according to the OMERACT RA MRI scoring (RAMRIS) system are provided. All grades (0-3) of synovitis are illustrated in each of the three wrist joint areas defined in the scoring system--that is, the distal radioulnar joint, the radiocarpal joint, and the intercarpal-carpometacarpal joints. For reasons of feasibility, examples of bone abnormalities are limited to five selected bones: the radius, scaphoid, lunate, capitate, and a metacarpal base. In these bones, grades 0-3 of bone oedema are illustrated, and for bone erosion, grades 0-3 and examples of higher grades are presented. The presented reference images can be used to guide scoring of wrist joints according to the OMERACT RA MRI scoring system.  (+info)

Wrist position in closed reduction of fractured carpal scaphoid. An experimental observation. (36/190)

Experimental observation on the relation between the apposition of scaphoid fracture surfaces and wrist position showed that fracture reduction could be achieved when the wrist was placed in a position from 15 degrees radial deviation to 15 degrees ulnar deviation provided that the wrist assumed certain amount of extension. The principle was that the more the wrist was radially deviated, the more the extension was needed. Fracture displacement occurred regularly and could be classified into three types, which were related to different loading patterns on the distal scaphoid.  (+info)

Connexin 40, a target of transcription factor Tbx5, patterns wrist, digits, and sternum. (37/190)

Haploinsufficiency of T-box transcription factor 5 (TBX5) causes human Holt-Oram syndrome (HOS), a developmental disorder characterized by skeletal and heart malformations. Mice carrying a Tbx5 null allele (Tbx5(+/Delta)) have malformations in digits, wrists, and sternum joints, regions where Tbx5 is expressed. We demonstrate that mice deficient in connexin 40 (Cx40), a Tbx5-regulated gap junction component, shared axial and appendicular skeletal malformations with Tbx5(+/Delta) mice. Although no role in skeleton patterning has been described for gap junctions, we demonstrate here that Cx40 is involved in formation of specific joints, as well as bone shape. Even a 50% reduction in either Tbx5 or Cx40 produces bone abnormalities, demonstrating their crucial control over skeletal development. Further, we demonstrate that Tbx5 exerts in part its key regulatory role in bone growth and maturation by controlling via Cx40 the expression of Sox9 (a transcription factor essential for chondrogenesis and skeleton growth). Our study strongly suggests that Cx40 deficiency accounts for many skeletal malformations in HOS and that Tbx5 regulation of Cx40 plays a critical role in the exquisite developmental patterning of the forelimbs and sternum.  (+info)

Wrist fusion versus limited carpal fusion in advanced Kienbock's disease. (38/190)

We treated 18 patients with advanced Kienbock's disease surgically. Six had total wrist fusions and 12 had limited carpal fusions. The average age was 39.6 yrs and the average follow up was 61.8 months and 66.8 months respectively. The visual analogue pain scores, the patient satisfaction scores and the SF 12 were better in the total wrist fusion group. The DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) scores, the range of movement and the grip strengths were better in the limited carpal fusions group but this was not statistically significant. Four patients with limited carpal fusions had a non-union that required revising. We believe that total wrist fusion should be offered earlier to patients with advanced stages of the disease, as there are less surgical failures, more satisfied patients, better post operative pain scores and consistent long-term results with less potential for further deterioration with time as compared to other treatment methods.  (+info)

The association between periodontal disease and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis extends the link between the HLA-DR shared epitope and severity of bone destruction. (39/190)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a possible association between wrist and periodontal destruction in rheumatoid arthritis, and between periodontal destruction, dry mouth, and labial salivary gland biopsy and the contribution of genetic factors (the shared epitope (SE) and IL1B (+3954) or TNFA (-238 or -308) gene polymorphisms). METHODS: 147 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were enrolled. Periodontal damage was defined according to the Hugoson and Jordan criteria on panoramic dental x rays. Typing for the SE and cytokine polymorphisms was undertaken by enzyme linked oligosorbent assay. Odds ratios (OR), relative risk (RR), and chi2 values were calculated to quantify associations. RESULTS: An association was observed between wrist and periodontal bone destruction (chi2=11.82; p<0.001): 63 patients had both wrist and periodontal destruction, 31 had wrist destruction alone, 20 had periodontal destruction alone, and 33 had no destruction at either site. An association was seen between a positive labial salivary gland biopsy and periodontal bone destruction (RR=2.73 (95% CI, 1.35 to 5.51), p<0.01, n=41) or wrist bone destruction (RR=4.52 (1.96 to 10.45), p<0.001, n=41). The SE was associated with wrist bone destruction (OR=2.5 (1.16 to 5.42), p<0.05) and periodontal bone destruction (OR=2.2 (1.04 to 4.84), p<0.05). No association was found between the selected cytokine polymorphisms and bone destruction. CONCLUSIONS: A strong association was found between wrist and periodontal bone destruction. The destruction risk was further increased in patients with sicca syndrome. The SE appears to be a severity genetic marker for both wrist and periodontal bone destruction.  (+info)

Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas. (40/190)

The "false thumb" of pandas is a carpal bone, the radial sesamoid, which has been enlarged and functions as an opposable thumb. If the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) are not closely related, their sharing of this adaptation implies a remarkable convergence. The discovery of previously unknown postcranial remains of a Miocene red panda relative, Simocyon batalleri, from the Spanish site of Batallones-1 (Madrid), now shows that this animal had a false thumb. The radial sesamoid of S. batalleri shows similarities with that of the red panda, which supports a sister-group relationship and indicates independent evolution in both pandas. The fossils from Batallones-1 reveal S. batalleri as a puma-sized, semiarboreal carnivore with a moderately hypercarnivore diet. These data suggest that the false thumbs of S. batalleri and Ailurus fulgens were probably inherited from a primitive member of the red panda family (Ailuridae), which lacked the red panda's specializations for herbivory but shared its arboreal adaptations. Thus, it seems that, whereas the false thumb of the giant panda probably evolved for manipulating bamboo, the false thumbs of the red panda and of S. batalleri more likely evolved as an aid for arboreal locomotion, with the red panda secondarily developing its ability for item manipulation and thus producing one of the most dramatic cases of convergence among vertebrates.  (+info)