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Uncommon carpal fractures

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Abstract

Fractures of the hand are frequently encountered with injuries to the phalanges and metacarpals comprising the vast majority. Fractures of the carpal bones excluding the scaphoid, however, are fairly uncommon. Despite the rarity of fractures of the remaining seven carpal bones, they can cause a disproportionate amount of morbidity from missed diagnosis due to their subtlety as well as their frequent association with significant ligamentous disruption or even other carpal bone fractures. Delayed diagnosis can result in inadequate fracture care, which places the wrist at risk of disabling sequelae. This review focuses on the current concepts of pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of carpal fractures other than the scaphoid.

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Acknowledgments

All radiographic pictures are kindly provided from and published with the consent of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology of the University Hospital Düsseldorf (Director: Univ.-Prof. G. Antoch) and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

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Tiffany Pan, Tim Lögters, Joachim Windolf, and Robert Kaufmann declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Pan, T., Lögters, T.T., Windolf, J. et al. Uncommon carpal fractures. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 42, 15–27 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-015-0618-5

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