Preiser disease in a child before complete ossification of the scaphoid: a case report

BACKGROUND: The pathology of Preiser disease remains controversial, and treatment for Preiser disease has not yet been standardised. Preiser disease itself is rare, and although it can be found in children, its presentation is even rarer; therefore, the treatment of paediatric patients with Preiser disease is more unclear than adult cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 10-year-old boy who complained of left wrist pain was diagnosed with Preiser disease from osteosclerosis and segmentation on plain radiography and computed tomography, and low signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images on magnetic resonance imaging. Because the patient was a child whose scaphoid was immature and pre-ossified, we chose a conservative immobilisation treatment with a thumb spica cast followed by an orthosis. After 3 months of immobilisation, the distal pole of the scaphoid showed remodelling. One year after the initial visit, plain radiography showed remodelling of the whole scaphoid, although magnetic resonance T1-weighted image showed that the recovery of intensity change was only observed in the distal pole. Two years after the initial visit, both plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a normal appearance and 5 years after the initial visit; the scaphoid bone showed normal development. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first case report of Preiser disease before complete ossification of the scaphoid; therefore, we cannot say anything definitive about the treatment strategy. However, our experience suggests that conservative treatment may provide a cure for Preiser disease in children with immature ossification of the scaphoid without carpal collapse.