Isolated traumatic dislocation of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb is an uncommon
injury. Left untreated, resulting mechanical instability of this joint interferes
with normal function of the hand and can lead to articular degeneration of the joint.
Most are amenable to closed reduction with or without supplementary pinning. We present
a case of a 21 year old female patient with continual instability of the carpometacarpal
joint of her right thumb, following closed reduction and pinning. Surgical stabilization
was achieved by anterior oblique ligament reconstruction using a Modified Eaton- Littler’s
technique. At 1 year follow-up evaluation the patient was pain free with no clinico-radiological
evidence of instability.
Keywords
Carpometacarpal joint - Dislocation - Thumb - Anterior oblique ligament - Ligament
reconstruction