title: Ununited fracture of the hook of hamate treated with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in an older middle-aged patient.
abstract: A 63-year-old man presented with a complaint of left ulnar wrist pain after playing golf. Computed tomography was used to detect a fracture at the base of the hook of hamate. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound without a splint for immobilization was started, and bone union was confirmed 12 months after the ultrasound treatment started. The patient returned to play golf without any symptoms or complications. The present case suggests that ultrasound treatment is effective for fractures of the hook of hamate even in an older middle-aged patient. Ultrasound treatment is more time consuming than other surgical treatments, but it can be an important, safe, and noninvasive therapeutic alternative to surgery for fractures of the hook of hamate.
authors.affiliation: *Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan; and †Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Momohara
mesh_terms: D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000628:therapy*; D051225:Hamate Bone / Q000293:injuries*; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy