Lunate Fractures

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Introduction

Lunate fractures are uncommon. This page considers all aspects of radiography of these rare fractures.

Anatomy

Mechanism of Injury

• fall onto an outstretched hand
• direct blow
• repetition injury
• secondary to Kienbock's disease

Presentation

"Patients often present with palpation tenderness on the volar wrist. Wrist range of motion is usually painful." <a class="external" href="http://www.orthopaedia.com/display/Main/Lunate+fractures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.orthopaedia.com/display/Main/Lunate+fractures</a>

Teisen Classification

Source: <a class="external" href="http://radiology.casereports.net/index.php/rcr/article/viewFile/70/224" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://radiology.casereports.net/index.php/rcr/article/viewFile/70/224</a>

Teisen classified lunate fractures into 5 groups.

Case Study 1

This 39 year old male presented to the Emergency Department following an oversupinated injury associated with the use of an electric drill. The patient was examined and was found to have a very painful right wrist and was referred for wrist radiography. The PA wrist projection image was largely unremarkable (arguably some soft tissue signs) ? small bone fragment projected between triquetrum and hamate

The lateral wrist projection image demonstrates a convincing positive pronator quadratus soft tissue sign and a complete transverse fracture of the lunate