A 56-year-old man visits the emergency room with recurrent left wrist discomfort. He slid forward onto the ground and landed on his outstretched hand while walking his dog 5 hours ago. The examination reveals modest edema of the left wrist with intact range of motion. There is dorsolateral wrist discomfort between the tendons of the extensor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis. The picture below depicts an x-ray of the left wrist: This patient is at greatest risk for developing which of the following complications?

Question

A 56-year-old man visits the emergency room with recurrent left wrist discomfort. He slid forward onto the ground and landed on his outstretched hand while walking his dog 5 hours ago. The examination reveals modest edema of the left wrist with intact range of motion. There is dorsolateral wrist discomfort between the tendons of the extensor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis. The picture below depicts an x-ray of the left wrist:  This patient is at greatest risk for developing which of the following complications?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: A scaphoid bone fracture can occur as a consequence of a fall on an outstretched hand and should be considered if examination reveals discomfort in the anatomic snuff box. Scaphoid fracture can damage the proximal scaphoid's retrograde blood flow, increasing the risk of avascular necrosis.

A 56-Year-Old Man Visits the Emergency Room with Recurrent Left