A Case of Avascular Necrosis of the Capitate Bone in a Pallet Car Driver

Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the capitate bone is very rare. It was first reported by Jonsson in 1942 1) and about 30 additional cases have been reported since. Most of the cases were associated with serious trauma, but in some cases, severe trauma has not played a major etiologic role. In our case,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Occupational Health 2009-09, Vol.51 (5), p.451-453
Main Authors: Ye, Byeong Jin, Kim, Jung Il, Lee, Hyun Jae, Jung, Kap Yeol
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Avascular necrosis
Capitate
Capitate Bone - blood supply
Capitate Bone - physiopathology
Cumulative Trauma Disorders
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Occupational Diseases
Osteonecrosis - pathology
Republic of Korea
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Summary:Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the capitate bone is very rare. It was first reported by Jonsson in 1942 1) and about 30 additional cases have been reported since. Most of the cases were associated with serious trauma, but in some cases, severe trauma has not played a major etiologic role. In our case, we propose that the cause of the avascular necrosis of the capitate bone was repetitive minor trauma and pressure on the palm that disturbed the blood supply. [Case Report]A 42-yr-old right-handed man complaining of insidious left wrist and palmar pain for 3 yr visited our hospital. The patient had driven a pallet car in an automobile factory for 17 yr. He did not have any history of major trauma, systemic disease or steroid treatment. On physical examination, there was swelling and tenderness of the left wrist and hand, but there were no limitations in wrist motion or dorsal instability. Laboratory findings for diseases were negative. A radiograph showed normal findings on the left capitate, but Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) image showed necrosis with a low signal intensity on T1-weighted and a slightly low signal intensity on T2-weighted on the left capitate (Fig.1).
ISSN:1341-9145
1348-9585
1348-9585
DOI:10.1539/joh.N8009