Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2024; 51(06): 561-567
DOI: 10.1055/a-2398-9052
Hand/Peripheral Nerve
Case Report

Severe Flexor Digitorum Profundus Muscular Adhesion by Pseudo-Volkmann's Contracture without Fracture: A Case Report and Literature Review

Jae Woo Kim 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gwangmyeong Sungae General Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
,
Jong Chan Kim 
2   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Police Hospital, Seoul, Korea
,
Sung Hoon Koh 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gwangmyeong Sungae General Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
,
Jin Soo Kim 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gwangmyeong Sungae General Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
,
Si Young Roh 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gwangmyeong Sungae General Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
,
Kyung Jin Lee 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gwangmyeong Sungae General Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
,
Dong Chul Lee 
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gwangmyeong Sungae General Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
  Permissions and Reprints
Preview

Abstract

Volkmann's ischemic contracture is a condition characterized by permanent ischemic damage to muscles and nerves due to vascular insufficiency, resulting in flexion contractures of the affected limb. In contrast, pseudo-Volkmann's contracture presents with similar clinical features but lacks ischemic damage and has the potential for complete recovery. We report a case of a 39-year-old man who developed failure of extension in the middle and ring fingers of the left hand following blunt forearm trauma from a rolling machine. Despite no skin breakage or fracture, his symptoms progressively worsened over 2 months without treatment. Surgical exploration 2 years later revealed severe adhesions of the flexor digitorum profundus muscle at the myotendinous junction to the ulnar periosteum, with immediate recovery after release. This case highlights pseudo-Volkmann's contracture in an adult without fracture, likely due to blunt trauma causing delayed adhesion formation.

Keywords

pseudo-Volkmann's contracture - flexor tendon - posttraumatic adhesion

Authors' Contributions

Conceptualization: D.C.L., J.C.K.

Writing -- original draft preparation: J.W.K., J.C.K.

Writing -- review and editing: J.W.K., J.C.K.

Visualization: D.C.L., J.C.K.

Supervision: S.H.K., J.S.K., S.Y.R., K.J.L.


Ethical Approval

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Gwangmyeong Sungae Hospital (IRB No. KIRB-2024-N-006) and conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.


Patient Consent

Informed consent was obtained from the patient prior to all procedures and research.




Publication History

Received: 09 April 2024

Accepted: 17 August 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
21 August 2024

Article published online:
13 November 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA