Fracture of the Sesamoid Bone of the Index Finger: A Case Report.

Abstract

The average adult hand has five sesamoid bones: two at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of the thumb, one at the interphalangeal joint of the thumb, one at the radial side of the MCP joint of the index finger, and one at the ulnar side of the MCP joint of the little finger. To the best of our knowledge, fracture of the sesamoid bone of the thumb was first reported by Skillern in 19151. In the ninety-six years that have followed, we believe only twenty-one published reports of an additional thirty-six cases of fracture of the thumb sesamoid bones have been reported in the English-language literature2–15. This rare fracture is typically the result of a hyperextension injury to the MCP joint of the thumb and is most often managed conservatively with a short period of immobilization. Full recovery without residual pain is expected2,13,14. Even less common are fractures of other sesamoid bones of the hand. Wood16 described two cases of fracture of the sesamoid bone of the little finger in the only report of which we are aware. To the best of our knowledge, fracture of the sesamoid bone of the index finger has been reported only once17. This injury occurred because of a fall onto an outstretched hand and a resultant hyperextension force to the MCP joint of the index finger. The fracture was treated with six weeks of immobilization, and there was full recovery17. We present a case of fracture of the sesamoid bone of the index finger that resulted from a direct blow to the palm and ultimately required …