Irreducible dislocation of the interphalangeal joint of the thumb due to seasamoid bone interposition: A case report

Abstract

A 32-year-old man came to us with deformity of his right thumb following a fall from his motorbike two days earlier. He had an open anterior wound at the IP joint crease that partially exposed the condyle of the proximal phalanx (Fig. i). The condyle showed signs of abrasion injury. The wound also had seropurulent discharge, indicating infection. X-ray film showed dorsal dislocation of the IP joint of the thumb with a small speck of bone in the intervening space, the contour of which was suggestive of sesamoid bone (Fig. 2). Reduction by traction had been attempted by a native bone setter soon after the fall and subsequently by two doctors at different hospitals. All efforts were unsuccessful. The wound was debrided under anesthesia, using an axillary block, and irreducibility was confirmed.