Question

A 23-year-old male reports that during a game of hoops (basketball), he tripped while driving the ball to the basket, and fell on his outstretched right hand with the palm down. Two days later, he phoned his anatomist father and related that his right wrist was painful. Later that day, he visited his father, who noted that the wrist was slightly swollen and tender but without deformity. He instructed his son to extend the right thumb, thereby accentuating the anatomical "snuffbox," which is extremely tender to deep palpation. His father advised him to get his hand and wrist x-rayed.

1. What is the most likely diagnosis?
2. What is the most likely anatomic defect?

Answer 1

The correct answer is -

1. It sounds like he suffered a fractured wrist.

2. Fracture of the scaphoid carpal bone.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the given case, it is instructed that the payer has impacted the right-hand wrist while diving the ball to the basket. His anatomist father inspected his injury and found swollen wrist without deformity and extended thumb which makes anatomical snuffbox, a triangular depression on the dorsum of the hand. All this suggested that he most likely fractured his wrist bone. The scaphoid carpal bone is the bone that is most likely to be fractured here.