Flexor pollicis longus (FPL) tendon hypoplasia: A case report and literature review

An 18-year-old female presented with long-standing inability to flex her left thumb. MRI of the left thumb revealed flexor pollicus longus (FPL) tendon hypoplasia, and subsequent ultrasound of the bilateral thumbs confirmed a left-sided hypoplastic FPL tendon. Structural integrity of the left FPL te...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sachin Dheer, MD, Joon S. Oh, Michael Rivlin, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-05-01
Series:Radiology Case Reports
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043319300548
Description
Summary:An 18-year-old female presented with long-standing inability to flex her left thumb. MRI of the left thumb revealed flexor pollicus longus (FPL) tendon hypoplasia, and subsequent ultrasound of the bilateral thumbs confirmed a left-sided hypoplastic FPL tendon. Structural integrity of the left FPL tendon was confirmed during surgical examination under anesthesia. Multiple congenital anomalies of the FPL have been described, but FPL tendon hypoplasia and its appearance on imaging are rarely reported. This case demonstrates the diagnosis of FPL tendon hypoplasia on MRI, ultrasound, and surgical examination under anesthesia; and demonstrates the importance of including this entity in the differential diagnosis for impaired thumb flexion. Keywords: Flexor pollicis longus, FPL, Hypoplasia
ISSN:1930-0433