The sole rupture of flexor digitorum tendons to the index finger following volar locking plate fixation of distal radius fracture: A case report

Keigo Honoki; Kinya Nishida; Yong Ho Che; Kazuhiro Uesugi; Akane Maeda; Jun Tsujino; Kazunori Ohno

doi:10.1016/j.tcr.2020.100369

The sole rupture of flexor digitorum tendons to the index finger following volar locking plate fixation of distal radius fracture: A case report

Trauma Case Rep. 2020 Nov 3:30:100369. doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2020.100369. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Keigo Honoki¹, Kinya Nishida¹, Yong Ho Che¹, Kazuhiro Uesugi¹, Akane Maeda¹, Jun Tsujino¹, Kazunori Ohno¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Teine Keijinkai Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.

Abstract

Distal radius fracture is a common injury, especially in elderly people, and internal fixation with volar locking plate (VLP) is becoming an increasingly popular technique for the management of displaced and/or unstable distal radius fractures. One of the most common complications of this treatment is the flexor tendon rupture, mostly of the flexor pollicis longus (FPL). While the rupture of flexor digitorum tendons to the index (FDI) mostly occurs concomitantly with the rupture of FPL after the treatment using volar plating for distal radial fracture, sole rupture of the FDI without FPL rupture is very rare. Here, we report a case of the sole rupture of FDI after volar locking plating and analyze its pathogenesis indicating that the lift-up of the distal ulnar edge of the plate related to the malcorrection of the fracture site is the culprit for this specific complication.

Keywords: Complication; Distal radius fracture; Flexor digitorum profundus; Flexor tendon rupture; Index finger; Volar plate fixation.

Publication types

Case Reports