Dorsal wrist mass: the carpal boss
- PMID: 22707539
- PMCID: PMC3062813
- DOI: 10.1136/bcr.01.2011.3695
Dorsal wrist mass: the carpal boss
Abstract
The carpal boss is an osseous overgrowth that is occasionally mistaken for a ganglion cyst. This report highlights the case a 36-year-old patient who was originally diagnosed by his primary care physician with a ganglion cyst and was sent to an orthopaedist for aspiration. Upon further evaluation with a plain radiograph, the dorsal wrist mass was found to be a carpal boss. The patient was treated with rest and a wrist brace, and was informed that a corticosteroid injection or surgical excision would be necessary if conservative treatment failed. The patient was asymptomatic on follow-up and invasive procedures were not necessary.
Conflict of interest statement
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