As a follow up to the above email---I repeated xrays and found, in fact, 2 metacarpal fractures, not just one. Close inspection of the xrays reveal that the 5th finger metacarpal fracture is nondisplaced, and the 4th is minimally angulated, but likely to heal. My recommendation was for nonoperative treatment in a splint. This particular patient had no recall of his discussion last week, and was under the impression that a "surgical option" was the only option. Our visit provides a great example of how informative a second opinion can be---if for no other reason than to provide an opportunity for additional dialogue, etc.
|