The carpal tunnel was investigated by high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) scanning of two cadavers, two healthy persons, and 20 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome to outline normal and pathologic anatomy. The following changes leading to median nerve compression in the carpal canal were demonstrated by CT: (1) thickening of the transverse carpal ligament with resultant decrease in the v...

Simple ganglia are the commonest lumps occurring in the hand and they comprise about two-thirds of all hand tumours (Stack 1964). They may arise from various sites, one of the less common being the fibrous flexor tendon sheaths of the digits. Often honoured by the descriptive names “sesamoid” or “pearl-seed” ganglia, and possessing characteristics which distinguish them from their larger brethr...

INTRODUCTION Braided polyester suture materials have been commonly used for flexor tendon repair in the clinical setting. However, knotted braided polyester lost approximately 50% of its tensile strength according to a study by Trail et al.(1) Accordingly, 4 or 5 throws are needed to prevent slippage for a secure knot, which may result in stitch granuloma. The use of absorbable sutures avoids p...

The efficacy of three methods of injecting the equine proximal interphalangeal (pastern) joint was compared using cadaver limbs. Five veterinary students without prior experience attempted to inject an aqueous radiographic contrast medium into the joint using five limbs for each technique. The number of attempts was recorded and successful injection of the joint was confirmed by the presence of...

Fibroma of the tendon sheath (FTS) is a rare, benign, soft tissue lesion. Clinically, FTS presents similarly to the more common giant cell tumour of the tendon sheath. It can be distinguished histologically by the lack of giant cells, foamy histiocytes and synovial cells. The author presents a case of FTS involving the flexor tendon to the fourth metacarpal following repetitive trauma. A 42 yea...

Tendon sheath fibromas are rare, benign soft tissue tumors that are predominantly found in the fingers, hands, and wrists of young adult men. This article describes a tendon sheath fibroma that developed in the thigh of a 70-year-old man, the only known tendon sheath fibroma to form in this location. Similar to tendon sheath fibromas that develop elsewhere, our patient's lesion presented as a p...

Background & Aims: Sonography has enjoyed much attention as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for carpal tunnel syndrome in recent years. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of anatomic variations of existence or absence of palmaris longus and fifth superficial flexor tendons on the sonographic measurement of median nerve surface area in healthy individuals’ wris...

Letters Giant cell tumour of the tendon sheath-an unusual cause for lockinG of the knee joint. Editor, Locking of the knee is a common presentation at orthopaedic outpatient departments. These patients normally require magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) where there is a clinical suspicion of a soft tissue lesion. The most common lesions are meniscal tears and typically present with associated pai...

To revisit foetal development of the deep flexor tendons of the hand and foot, we examined the paraffin-embedded histology of 20 mid-term foetuses at 8-15 weeks of estimated gestational age (35-118 mm crown-rump length or CRL). At 8-9 weeks, in front of the metacarpal bones, the flexor pollicis longus and flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) muscles provided a plate-like, common tendon from wh...

For many years, the belief was held that flexor tendons are relatively avascular structures with sparsely sequestrated cells having a structure similar to that of cartilage and therefore unable to initiate or partake in the healing process. It was believed that a new blood supply originating from adjacent tissue was essential for the reparative process and for new collagen to reach the damaged ...