Finger deformities in Renaissance art

摘要

Dr Hijmans and Dr Dequeker presented an interestingrnargument for camptodactyly in the paintings of Dirk Boutsrn(November 2004 JRSM1). However, in their desire torndistinguish these paintings from others of the period thatrnshow similar finger deformities, they misstate the nature ofrncamptodactyly. Green’s Operative Hand Surgery and thernInternational Federation of Societies for Surgery of thernHand define camptodactyly as a congenital flexion deformityrnof the proximal interphalangeal joint of the fifth finger.2rnSpecifically, hyperextension of the distal interphalangealrnjoint is not necessary for the diagnosis; indeed, if this isrnpresent to a significant degree, the clinician should considerrnthe possibility of a boutonnie`re deformity rather thanrncamptodactyly. Also, extension of the metacarpophalangealrnjoint, while often present, is not a requirement for therndiagnosis of camptodactyly.