A 25-year-old male athlete is admitted to the emergency department after a bad landing in the pole vault. Radiographic examination of his hand reveals a fractured carpal bone in the floor of the anatomic snuffbox. Which bone has most likely been fractured?
High-Yield Explanation
(b) Source: GAS 752-754; GA 392, 394, 422 The anatomic snuffbox is formed by the tendons of the extensor pollicis brevis, the abductor pollicis longus, and the extensor pollicis longus. The floor is formed by the scaphoid bone, and it is here that one can palpate for a possible fractured scaphoid.