BACKGROUND: The scaphoid is the most prominent of the carpal bones in the first row and the most frequently fractured of all the carpal bones. Bilateral simultaneous scaphoid fractures are uncommon. OBJECTIVE: To report bilateral simultaneous fractures of the carpal scaphoid bones and their successful treatment with bilateral thumb spacia casts METHODS: A 28-year-old medical practitioner presen...

An 1 1 year old boy fell off a swing onto an outstretched left hand. He attended the accident and emergency department with a painful, swollen left elbow. Radiography of the injured elbow confirmed the undisplaced supracondylar fracture (fig 1). He was treated with a broad arm sling. A week later the child was seen in the fracture clinic and overall evaluation revealed tenderness over the left ...

We randomly allocated 60 consecutive patients with fractures of the waist of the scaphoid to percutaneous fixation with a cannulated Acutrak screw or immobilisation in a cast. The range of movement, the grip and pinch strength, the modified Green/O'Brien functional score, return to work and sports, and radiological evidence of union were evaluated at each follow-up visit. Patients were followed...

Scaphoid stress fractures are rare injuries that have been described in young, high-level athletes who exhibit repetitive loading with the wrist in extension. We present a case of an occult scaphoid stress fracture in a 22-year-old female Division I collegiate shot-putter. She was successfully treated with immobilization in a thumb spica splint for 6 weeks. Loaded wrist extension activities can...

DISLOCATION of the scaphoid is a rare injury of which only a few reports of its occurrence appear in the literature. These include Higgs (1930), two cases; Buzby (1934); Kuth (1939); Wood-Walker (1943); Schlossbach (1954) and Connell & Dyson (1955), all reporting single cases. Russell (1949), in a review of intercarpal dislocations and fracture dislocations reported only one case of dislocation...

OBJECTIVE To determine the cost effectiveness of a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) within 5 days of injury compared with the usual management of occult scaphoid fracture. METHODS All patients with suspected scaphoid fractures in five hospitals were invited to participate in a randomised controlled trial of usual treatment with or without an MRI scan. Healthcare costs were compared, and ...

Scaphoid fractures are a common injury in young, active populations. Non-displaced fractures have a high union rate if promptly treated with cast immobilization. Displaced fractures and proximal pole fractures are best treated with operative fixation. There are a variety of techniques and implants available to the surgeon. The surgical approach and fixation device should be based on fracture ch...

A stress fracture of the scaphoid combined with distal radial epiphysiolysis occurred in a 16 year old badminton player. Repeated shearing and torsional forces by excessive wrist movement from hitting a shuttle probably cause stress injuries in both the scaphoid and the distal radius.

Avascular necrosis of the scaphoid following a fracture in children is rare and there is no established treatment protocol in the literature. We present two boys with nonunion and avascular necrosis of the scaphoid treated by simple immobilisation. Both cases healed with painless wrists and full movements. Our cases confirm that an ununited scaphoid fracture in children may heal with conservati...