Abstract
IntroductionA rare case of congenital bipartite lunate in a child is reported. Carpal variants are very uncommon as independent entities, with only three previous reports of this condition in the English literature.Case presentationAn 11-year-old Caucasian boy presented with pain in the left wrist after a fall. Radiographs in the emergency department demonstrated a lunate that was divided into palmar and dorsal parts, causing a misdiagnosis of fractured lunate. Magnetic resonance imaging was then used to differentiate between the two diagnoses.ConclusionVery few cases of bipartite lunate have been reported in the literature, and unless awareness is raised about congenital anomalies such as this variant, confusion may arise.
Highlights
A rare case of congenital bipartite lunate in a child is reported
We demonstrate the radiographic imaging from an interesting case of congenital bipartite lunate that was initially misdiagnosed as a fracture in the context of trauma
Case presentation An 11-year-old Caucasian boy presented to the emergency department after a fall onto the outstretched left hand
Summary
The bipartite lunate is a rare congenital variation of the carpal bones While anomalies such as a bipartite scaphoid, bipartite hamate and carpal synostosis are well described in the literature [1,2,3,4], to our knowledge only three cases involving the lunate have previously been reported [5,6,7]. We demonstrate the radiographic imaging from an interesting case of congenital bipartite lunate that was initially misdiagnosed as a fracture in the context of trauma. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to differentiate between a traumatic lunate fracture, a bipartite congenital variant of the lunate or an atypical presentation of Kienböck’s disease. An undisplaced Salter Harris type 3 fracture of the distal radius was noted, but no scaphoid fracture was observed. At the one-year follow-up visit, the patient reported a complete recovery with no pain, normal power and a return to full range of motion
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