Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2020 Jul 9;12(7):e9091.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.9091.

Volar Radiocarpal Dislocation: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Mohammed Sabr  1 , Hosam T Mashrah  2 , Abdulaziz H Abed  3 , Hamdi Arabi  1 , Fawaz Pullishery  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Volar Radiocarpal Dislocation: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Mohammed Sabr et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Radiocarpal dislocations (RCDs) are one of the rare injuries that happen to the wrist in which there is a partial or complete loss of contact between the carpus and distal radius. We present the case of volar RCD in a 25-year-old male patient. He reported to the ED with pain on the wrist of his left forearm. The patient had met with a motor vehicle accident and was put on forearm cast in the previous hospital. Initial clinical examination showed swelling with no visible deformity with good capillary fill; X-ray images showed no fracture, and he was again put on forearm cast giving an orthopedic clinic appointment. A missed diagnosis of left wrist complete volar RCD was found when we reviewed the X-ray, and the patient was called for immediate surgical treatment. He was treated under general anesthesia with closed reduction, and three parallel percutaneous Kirschner wires were pinned to the left radiocarpal joint. Occupational therapy to improve the range of motion and muscle strengthening were done, and clinical follow-up showed improvement in the extension, flexion, and muscle power. The patient was satisfied with the outcome and after three months of follow-up showed no new problems.

Keywords: palmar radiocarpal dislocation; radiocarpal dislocation; volar radiocarpal dislocation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. X-ray of the left wrist (injured) and contralateral wrist.
A) Anteroposterior (AP) view ; B) Lateral view
Figure 2
Figure 2. Preoperative CT images of the left wrist.
A) Standard CT image; B) 3D CT image
Figure 3
Figure 3. Intraoperative X-ray of the left wrist.
A) Anteroposterior (AP) view; B) Lateral view
Figure 4
Figure 4. Twelve days postoperation, left wrist.
A) Anteroposterior (AP) view; B) Lateral view
Figure 5
Figure 5. X-ray of the left wrist post wires removal surgery.
A) Lateral view; B) anteroposterior (AP) view
Figure 6
Figure 6. Left wrist range of motion upon discharge.
A) Extension; B) Flexion; C) Supination; D) Pronation
Figure 7
Figure 7. X-ray of the left wrist before discharge.
A) Anteroposterior (AP) view; B) Lateral view
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fracture-dislocations of the carpus: perilunate injury. Sawardeker PJ, Kindt KE, Baratz ME. Orthop Clin North Am. 2013;44:93–106. - PubMed
    1. Fractures and dislocations of the carpus. Dunn AW. Surg Clin North Am. 1972;52:1513–1538. - PubMed
    1. Ligamentous radiocarpal fracture-dislocation treated with wrist-spanning plate and volar ligament repair. Potter MQ, Haller JM, Tyser AR. J Wrist Surg. 2014;3:265–268. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Radio-carpal dislocation—classification and rationale for management. Moneim MS, Bolger JT, Omer GE. Clin Orthop. 1985;192:199–209. - PubMed
    1. Radiocarpal dislocations: classification and proposal for treatment. A review of twenty-seven cases. Dumontier C, Meyer zu Reckendorf G, Sautet A, Lenoble E, Saffar P, Allieu Y. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2001;83:212–218. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources