Published online May 26, 2019. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v7.i10.1103
Peer-review started: January 15, 2019
First decision: March 10, 2019
Revised: April 29, 2019
Accepted: May 1, 2019
Article in press: May 1, 2019
Published online: May 26, 2019
Achenbach’s syndrome is a rare condition, and the etiology is unknown. It is most commonly seen in the volar plate of the hand distal interphalangeal joint. Patients diagnosed with Achenbach’s syndrome in cardiovascular surgery clinic were retrospectively compared with the literature.
To investigate the symptoms, findings, sociodemographic conditions, and laboratory data of patients diagnosed with Achenbach’s syndrome.
The study is a retrospective review of 24 patients diagnosed with Achenbach’s syndrome at Afyonkarahisar State Hospital between March 2015 and November 2016, at Sivas Numune Hospital between November 2016 and November 2017, and at Cumhuriyet University Cardiovascular Surgery Department between November 2017 and November 2018. In the study, demographic characteristics of the patients, signs and symptoms of the disease, and laboratory data were analyzed retrospectively.
The cohort consisted of 83.33% female patients and 16.67% male patients. The disease was most commonly located in the index finger of the right hand. All of the patients complained of bruising and pain. No pathologic findings were present in the laboratory results. According to these results, it can be concluded that Achenbach syndrome is most commonly seen in the right index finger of middle-aged female patients.
Further research is needed to clarify Achenbach’s syndrome and to develop a diagnosis and treatment algorithm. As the awareness of this syndrome increases, large amounts of data will be obtained. According to current knowledge, Achenbach’s syndrome is not among the known causes of mortality or morbidity. However, it is unknown whether it is seen in brain or other vital organs.
Core tip: The etiology of Achenbach’s syndrome is not clearly known. This disease is often seen on the volar surface of fingers. Blue-colored finger and sudden onset pain are the most common symptoms. No morbidity and mortality have been reported in this syndrome. However, there is little awareness of the disease. This study showed that this syndrome is most commonly seen in the index finger of middle-aged female patients. Further studies are needed to explain Achenbach’s syndrome pathogenesis and to define a diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm.