A Rare Case of Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome Triggering Guyon’s Canal Syndrome

Abstract

In certain occupations, injuries and microtrauma are commonly encountered by the soft tissues of the hand in the adult population, which may, however, less frequently lead to arterial occlusion. One such example is that of the Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome (HHS). It is a rare traumatic disease of the hand, caused by blunt traumas to the heel of the hand that may damage the ulnar artery at the level of hypothenar eminence. This results in occlusion or aneurysm of the vessel. It is of clinical importance due to the risk of loss of limb function following digital ischemia. The ulnar nerve barely gets compressed in the Guyon’s canal, which may in turn cause Guyon’s canal syndrome. This is a case of a 43-year-old male patient who presented with painful swelling of the right hand, which was diagnosed as a bizarre presentation of a bilobed and partially thrombosed pseudoaneurysm of the ulnar artery producing Guyon’s canal syndrome that had to be surgically excised. The objective of this case is to highlight the clinical presentation of HHS for early diagnosis and treatment.