Carpal boss: An uncommon cause of dorsal wrist mass and chronic pain in children. A case report

Abstract

Pain referred to the wrist joint, is a common affection among the pediatric and adolescent population, either due to acute injury or chronic stress. Even though the most common cause of a wrist mass associated with chronic pain in this patient population is a ganglion cyst, other pathologies should also be considered. We report an uncommon case of a 10-year-old girl with a carpal boss that was treated with surgery after non-operative measures failed to achieve symptom resolution. The diagnosis was established based on clinical examination and imaging findings. Although rare in the skeletally immature population, carpal boss should be considered as a differential diagnosis in a pediatric-adolescent patient with a dorsal wrist mass and chronic pain. The purpose of the present study was to describe the presentation and anatomical findings in our patient, that differ from the cases reported to date, as well as to review treatment options of this condition in the pediatric population.