Occult fracture of the trapezoid bone: a report on two cases

The authors report two cases of isolated, undisplaced, fractures of the trapezoid bone. Because of its well-protected position in the wrist, traumatic lesions of the trapezoid bone are rare. Dislocation of the trapezoid has been reported in 30 patients; fractures are seen even less frequently and usually go with dorsal displacement. To our knowledge and based on a Medline literature review, only two cases of acute and isolated, undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures of the trapezoid have been previously described. We believe that the lesion has often been missed in the past and modern diagnostic tools will make its diagnosis far more frequent.