• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.135-139
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• 2018

Most capitate fractures occur in association with additional carpal injuries, particularly scaphoid fractures. Isolated fractures of the capitate account for only 0.3% of carpal injuries, and stress fractures are one form of this fracture. We report the case of a 20-year-old male who had a stress fracture of the capitate after serving as an honor guard in the military. Conventional radiographs and computed tomography of the right wrist revealed a minimally displaced fracture line located at the midcarpal aspect of the right capitate. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrates a subarticular capitate fracture with diffuse bone marrow edema, small osteophytes, and irregularity of the midcarpal articular cartilage. We also review the carpal kinematics which possibly caused the stress fracture. Although stress fractures of the capitate are rare, they should also be accounted for with patients who perform repetitive motions of the wrist to a considerable extent.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.144-150
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• 2011

The primary purpose of this study was to analyze the motion of the scaphoid, capitate, and lunate during dart-throwing motion by three-dimensional modeling. Five series of CT images of five normal right wrists were acquired from five motion steps from radial extension to ulnar flexion in the dart-throwing motion plane. Segmentation and three-dimensional modeling of bones from CT images was performed using Analyze. Distances among centroids of the scaphoid, capitate and lunate and angles between principal axes of three carpal bones were calculated to analyze the motion by using MATLAB. As the wrist motion changed from radial extension to ulnar flexion, the distance between two adjacent bones decreased. The scaphoid and lunate rotated less than the capitates during dart-throwing motion. This study reports the Three-dimensional in vivo measurement of carpal motion using CT images.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.57-62
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• 2014

Purpose: A hamate body coronal fracture is well known as a very rare fracture in the carpal bones and is also hard to diagnose in initial stage due to the bone's architecture. We report our experience in treatment of such a fracture, and we present a review of the relevant literatures. Methods: Four patients who experienced hamate body coronal fractures from October 2006 to October 2013 were enrolled in this study. One patient also had an associated Capitate fracture, and two patients had associated dislocations of the $4^{th}$ metacarpal joint. We performed open reduction and mini-screw fixation on the four patients. In addition, a K-wire was fixed for the two patients with dislocations. Results: The average follow-up period was 24.5 months after surgery, and bone union was observed at the $8^{th}$ week after surgery. We confirmed that bone union had been completed for all the patients, and functional tests showed that joint motion was in the normal range without complications. Conclusion: When a patient has consistent pain on the ulnar side of the wrist, a hamate fracture should be suspected. Computer tomography is better than a simple X-ray scan for confirming the diagnosis of a hamate body coronal fracture. An open reduction and mini-screw fixation led to a good result.