Hand & Upper Extremity Orthopaedic Trauma
BACKGROUND: While distal radius fractures are frequently associated with carpal injuries, such associations are rarely observed in Galeazzi fractures.
CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a patient who sustained a Galeazzi fracture- dislocation accompanied by a volar lunate dislocation following a high-speed motorcycle collision. Surgical management included open reduction and internal fixation of the lunate and radius, volar radiocarpal ligament repair, and median nerve decompression. Postoperative recovery was excellent, with restoration of full hand function.
LITERATURE REVIEW: To the best of our knowledge, the combination of a Galeazzi fracture-dislocation and a lunate dislocation occurring from a single traumatic event has not been previously documented in the literature.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We propose a double-hit injury mechanism to explain the observed co-occurrence. The initial wrist hyperextension with ulnar deviation and intracarpal supination causing lunate dislocation followed by axial loading and violent hyperpronation producing radial shaft fracture and distal radioulnar joint dislocation. This case illustrates that high-energy trauma may synchronize distinct injury patterns to produce complex upper limb injuries.
Read the article: PubMed · Publisher (DOI)