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Brachymetacarpy: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Brachymetacarpia is a congenital defect caused by a violation of the differentiation of the bone-articular apparatus of the hand and expressed in the shortening of the metacarpal bones.
ICD-10 code
Q74.0 Brachymetacarpy.
Symptoms of Brachymetacarpia
Clinically, in children over 8 years of age, growth retardation of the metacarpal bones (usually III, IV, V) is observed due to early closure of the metaepiphyseal growth zones, determined by radiography. The functions of the hand are not affected, and the main complaint of patients is the aesthetic defect of the recession of the heads of the deformed metacarpal bones, which determines the shortening of the corresponding ray as a whole.
Treatment of brachymetacarpy
There are two treatment options. First, the defect can be corrected by lengthening the affected metacarpal bones using a distraction device. The second treatment option is one-stage bone grafting of the shortened metacarpal bones using a spongy-cortical bone graft from the iliac wing.
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