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Triquetral fracture

Case contributed by Andrew Murphy
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Fall overnight, tender wrist.

Patient Data

Age: 30 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Minimally displaced triquetral fracture

Case Discussion

The triquetral bone is the second most common carpal bone fracture; often you can only see it on the lateral as a subtle dorsal fragment. Before concluding a normal study, ensure you assess the dorsal aspect of the lateral projection carefully. This patient was sent home, then called back 24 hours later upon review.

In this particular case the radiographer performed a carpal bridge tangential projection to obtain a tangential view of the triquetral bone in the lateral projection. This projection is not very common and can cause the patient discomfort. 

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