Pediatric Boutonniere Deformity After Blunt Closed Traumatic Injury

Abstract

The boutonniere deformity (BD) is a well-described condition in hand surgery. Treatment of acute traumatic BD includes splinting of the proximal interphalangeal joint in extension for 4 to 5 weeks, which often leads to acceptable results. However, the chronic BD is more problematic and often requires surgical intervention with poor functional outcomes. Boutonniere deformity is extremely rare in the pediatric population. We present the case of a 9-year-old girl who presented to the emergency department with an acute traumatic BD after a fall. Being an uncommon entity in this patient population, the patient was referred to the plastic surgery clinic and was subsequently treated appropriately with splinting, resulting in favorable results as early as 4 weeks. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of BD in the pediatric patient population. Recognition and timely management of BD in a pediatric patient should not be overlooked to obtain favorable results.