A rare case of supinator syndrome caused by osteofibrous dysplasia of the radius

TL;DR

A rare case shows how a bone condition caused nerve compression in the forearm, leading to muscle weakness and eventual recovery after surgery.

Contribution

First reported case linking osteofibrous dysplasia of the radius to supinator syndrome via unusual nerve compression.

Findings

Osteofibrous dysplasia caused posterior interosseous nerve compression in the supinator tunnel.

Nerve decompression surgery restored full muscle strength in wrist and finger extensors.

This case highlights a rare and previously unreported clinical association.

Abstract

We report the case of a 57-year-old male who presented to our emergency room due to progressive paresis of the muscles innervated by the deep branch of the radial nerve in the right forearm. The patient suffered from osteofibrous dysplasia and an x-ray revealed the polyostotic disease had also affected his radius. High resolution ultrasound revealed that an exostosis of the radius had caused compression of the posterior interosseous nerve unusually distally in the supinator tunnel. The patient underwent nerve decompression and recovered full strength in his wrist-, and finger extensors approximately 9 months postoperatively. This case report illustrates a case of a rare disease, i.e. osteofibrous dysplasia of the radius, in conjunction with the first published report of an unusually located nerve compression syndrome, i.e. supinator syndrome, caused by this very disease.

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