Article

Hypothenar hammer syndrome is a rare disease first described by Conn et al. in
1970. It groups together symptoms of chronic microtraumatism to the ulnar artery
or its superficial palmar branch against the hamate. Manual workers using
vibrating tools are the most affected by this. Diagnosis is made by echodoppler,
while arteriography is the gold standard for establishing the treatment plan.
Hypothenar hammer syndrome may lead to severe complications secondary to ischemia
and to embolic events resulting from delayed diagnosis or maltreatment. There is
no real consensus as to the place of medical or surgical treatments. Medical
treatment consists of eliminating favorizing factors and long-term antiplatelet
aggregation treatment. Surgical treatment depends on the vascular lesions: simple
arterial ligation, resection of the thrombosed arterial segment and end-to-end
anastomosis, or revascularization using a pontage venous or arterial graft. Some
authors suggested an associated thoracic sympathectomy. The diagnosis must be
made early; the choice of treatment must be targeted at preventing serious
embolic complications.
CI - Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier SAS.

Langue : FRANCAIS