Solitary Loose Body within the Flexor Tendon Sheath of the Little Finger M. A. AL1 From the Royal Infirmary, Huddersfield. An unusual case of fibrocartilaginous loose body within the synovial flexor tendon sheath is presented. An eighteen-year-old male presented with a swelling over the base of left little finger which had been present for one year. He could not recall injuring the hand, it caused him no pain and no discomfort. The swelling was hard, non tender, located on the volar and radial side of the proximal pulp space of the little finger. Mobility of the swelling was limited in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Radiographs showed no calcification visualized soft tissue swelling.
in the
well
At Operation The swelling popped out completely loose after incising the synovial sheath of the flexor tendon. (Figure 1). The loose body looked very similar to those recovered from knees, hard, whitish in colour, having smooth slippery surface, measured 17 x 11 mm with its long axis lying across the flexor tendon causing an indentation on its surface next to the tendon, this gave it an appearance similar to the carpal scaphoid. Microscopical cartilage.
examination
showed
normal
fibro-
Comment Tenosynovial chondromatosis has been described in the region. of the wrist. (Von Albert%, 1936; Jaffe, 1958). Roberts, 1971 reported a patient with bilateral symmetrical calcified fibrocartilagenous bodies at the base of the thumbs in relation to extensor pollicis brevis.
Fig. 1
Left little finger. Loose body lump after release of proximal segment of finger.
In this case the fibrocartilaginous loose body was in relation to a flexor tendon sheath and a search of the literature failed to find any similar reported case.
Acknowledgement I would like to thank Mr. H. M. Williams, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon for allowing me to report on his patient.
Received for publication October, 1985. M. A. Ali, F.R.C.S. Royal Infimmy, Acre
VOL. 11-B No. 2 JUNE 1986
Street,
Lindley,
Huddersfield
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References JAFFE, H. L. (1958). Tumors and Tumorow Conditions of the Bones and Joints, London: Hemy Kimpton. Philadelphia, Lea and Febiger ~566. ROBERTS, P. H. (1971). Tenosynovial Chondromatosis - An &&I Case, British Journal of Surwv. _ _. 58(2): 152. VON ALBERTINI, A. (1936). %hweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift, 66:82. (Quoted by Roberts). An Unusual Case.
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