Bilateral Simultaneous Traumatic Thumb Injuries - Extensor Pollicis Longus Rupture On One Side And Ulnar Collateral Ligament On The Other. Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Though isolated traumatic extensor pollicislongus rupture and ulnar collateral ligament rupture of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb are well known injuries, it is rare to have simultaneous bilateral thumb injuries from a single traumatic event. In this article, we report simultaneous bilateral traumatic thumb injury with extensor pollicislongus tendon rupture on one side and ulnar collateral ligament tear on the other side. To the best of our knowledge, such injury has never been reported in the English literature.

CASE REPORT: A 48-year-old healthy gentleman sustained simultaneous bilateral thumb injuries after a fall from mountain bike which was initially missed in the emergency department. Both injuries were later treated operatively with an excellent outcome at the end of six months. A peculiar mechanism explained simultaneous injury to both the thumbs.

CONCLUSION: This unique combination of bilateral simultaneous traumatic thumb injuries is very rare. Further, due to subtle clinical findings and normal radiographs these injuries are more likely to be missed at initial evaluation Emergency physicians should be aware of it as majority of them require operative intervention for satisfactory outcome.