Rupture of the Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon Associated with Distal Radius Fracture : A Case Report

Abstract

We report a case of rupture of the flexor pollicis longus (FPL) associated with radius distal fracture. A 67-year-old woman fell and landed on her right hand when she was exercising. She sustained a fracture of her right distal radius, displaced to the dorsal side. One day after the injury, open reduction and internal fixation using a volar plate were performed. During a week after surgery, her right wrist was immobilized with a plaster splint. When the splint was removed, she was unable to flex the interphalangeal (IP) joint of her right thumb. Rupture of the FPL was diagnosed. Two weeks after surgery, we performed end-to-end suturing of the FPL, which was ruptured near the fracture site. The bilateral edges of the rupture were sharp.
Rupture of the FPL associated with radius distal fracture is a very rare complication, although some reports have described it after malunion of a distal radius fracture repaired by internal fixation using a volar plate.