ORIGINAL ARTICLESNo Access

HIGH INCIDENCE OF HAMATE HOOK FRACTURES IN UNDERWATER RUGBY PLAYERS: DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS

AARE KLINIK, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Bern, Switzerland

Correspondence to: Dr. Oliver Scheufler, AARE KLINIK, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Florastrasse 13, 3005 Bern, Switzerland. Tel: (+41) 31-333-0107, Fax: (+41) 31-331-8650.

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Peter Kamusella

Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology/Neuroradiology, Westküstenklinikum Heide — Academic Teaching Hospital of the Universities of Kiel, Lübeck and Hamburg, Germany

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Lukas Tadda

Department of Pulmonology, Klinikum am Bruderwald, Bamberg, Germany

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Sebastian Radmer

Centre of Orthopedics, Berlin, Germany

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Sebastian G. Russo

Department of Anesthesiology, Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine, Göttingen University Hospital, Germany

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, and

Reimer Andresen

Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology/Neuroradiology, Westküstenklinikum Heide — Academic Teaching Hospital of the Universities of Kiel, Lübeck and Hamburg, Germany

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218810413500391Cited by:15 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Hamate hook fractures are rare injuries but appear to occur frequently in underwater rugby, the reason for which was investigated in this study.

High-level underwater rugby players with hook fractures diagnosed during a five-year interval (2005–2010) were studied retrospectively. Medical data on these patients were reviewed for information on the mechanism of injury, type of fracture, radiological imaging, treatment, and outcome.

In ten patients, hook fractures of the leading hand were confirmed by computed tomography, all of which were associated with specific injuries during underwater rugby games. Conservative treatment resulted in delayed healing or non-union, wherefore fragment excision and open reduction and internal fixation was performed in ten and five patients, respectively, while two patients declined surgery. After surgery, all patients were able to play underwater rugby again.

In underwater rugby, hook fractures occur frequently due to high and repeated forces applied to the leading hand during games.

Keywords:

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