Name of
patient : SF
Child or Adult: Adult
Age: Late 20's
City and state: New York, NY
Area(s) of body affected: Left ring finger
Personal History:
I am
female, late twenties and first noticed that my left ring finger was crooked
when I was probably around 10 years old. It looks like I have an irregular bone
growth between the knuckle on my finger almost to the tip, creating a size-able
bump. I can bend my finger and slide rings on to it with ease and have never had
inflammation or pain. I never went to get it X-rayed, as I didn't think it could
be anything serious, something that was probably a result of a childhood injury.
I
finally went to a hand specialist (Dr. Kang) at the Hospital for Special Surgery
in New York City. She took X-rays of my left hand and I could immediately see
that the image of my ring finger was different from the others, as it was very
milky and dense. She diagnosed me with melorheostosis, saying that the condition
was most likely benign, as I have not experienced pain or swelling. She said
that I could potentially get surgery to shave down the bone, however there is no
guarantee that it will not grow back and will certainly leave a scar. She also
mentioned that the condition could be present in other parts of the body,
however I have not noticed any irregularities besides my finger.
As of
right now I have not made a decision on whether or not to go through with the
surgery.