Vacuum phenomenon in the wrist

Case contributed by Mohammad Taghi Niknejad
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Incidental finding.

Patient Data

Age: 1 year
Gender: Male
x-ray

 The radiolucent semilunar shadows are seen in the wrists due to the mild traction as an incidental finding.

Case Discussion

The radiolucent semilunar shadows are characteristic of the vacuum phenomenon, which is gas (principally nitrogen), presumably originating from the surrounding tissues due to mild traction for positioning.

A case of Prof. Saeed Rad's archive, Tabriz university of medical sciences, Radiology department, Iran.

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